(on Canada's action in Afghanistan) For the first several years, the government was loathe to call it a war because that brought with it a responsibility to treat detainees a different way. Instead they said we're fighting terrorism and counter-insurgency. During the second stage, no one hesitated calling it a war. But when the story became one of leaving Afghanistan , we now call it a mission. A war is something you need to win or lose. A mission is something that can be accomplished; you can end it.