Canadian Troops May Not Receive Gift Packages

gift packages meant for Canadian Forces personnel serving in Afghanistan may spend Christmas in Montreal, the packages are not addressed to specific soldiers and are thus a potential security threat.

The holiday care packages collected by 50 volunteers may never make it to the Canadian forces in Afghanistan. The approximately 1,700 packages are stuck in Montreal due to concerns about security according to a CBC report. The packages are not addressed to specific members of the armed forces and contain items such as shampoo and 2 ply toilet paper and Christmas cards from children. The parcels cannot be delivered because they are not addressed to specific soldiers. The Canadian Armed Forces are unable to vouch for the contents of the packages and that poses a security threat. The volunteer organizer, Jean Bission, is not accepting this rationale. "I'd kind of like to question them on that because every single package is done at the armoury, and they're under lock and key," she said. The volunteers are devastated and Bission hopes the military will change its policy before the holidays. If that does not happen the packages will be donated to a local charity