The trail stays warm....

The reasons all this matters were thoroughly discussed at Nuremberg and resulted in a body of International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law - all of which Canada has signed - that can't arbitrarily be set aside by NATO, Rick Hillier, or anybody. See for example, the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, 2000. Whether or not Canadian soldiers meant well in carrying out their assignments in Afghanistan is irrelevant if the assignments themselves were illegal.