Is it too soon for Conservative government to consider Afghan war battle honours?

We know the Conservative government is keen on Canada's military history, even if critics attack its policies towards veterans, so it's probably not surprising Prime Minister Stephen Harper is mulling ways to mark the armed forces' exploits in Afghanistan.

The Canadian Press reports Harper is considering bestowing battle honours on combat units that fought in the decade-long Afghan mission.

What might surprise you is that the initiative potentially could be provoke controversy, especially since the war's not over and Canadian troops are still there, if no longer on the front line.

CP obtained a memo under access-to-information legislation detailing options for recognizing individual regiments for specific battles and participation in the war itself.

"Battle honours are awarded to provide public recognition to combatant military units for active participation in battle against a formed and armed enemy," says the May 13 note from Wayne Wouters, clerk of the Privy Council.

"The awarding of battle honours has deep historical roots and must be done in a thorough manner to ensure units are properly recognized."

[ Related: On Remembrance Day, Harper marks 200th anniversary of key War of 1812 battle ]

Battle honours are a big deal in the military. The tradition goes back centuries, when musket-wielding soldiers fought within sight of each other carrying their regimental colours that displayed honours earned in past battles. Honours are still emblazoned on regimental flags today, and can be included on individual soldiers' unit badges.

The process of awarding battle honours generally follows a strict protocol based on a unit's level of participation in a battle, and deviations can excite debate.

Last year, the Harper government awarded battle honours to militia units that fought in several key battles in the War of 1812 as part of the government's bicentennial commemoration of the conflict, despite the fact there was no Canadian army at the time. Much of the fighting was done by British regulars and First Nations warriors.

The government decided to award the honours to selected regiments that were seen as perpetuating the Canadian volunteer units that fought to defend Canada against American invasion attempts. Harper sees the war as a key factor in the creation of a Canadian identity.

The nature of the fighting in Afghanistan – no pitched battles, instead skirmishes with hit-and-run Taliban fighters, deadly improvised-explosive devices taking a heavy toll – will make it hard to sort out which units are recognized for what encounters.

But military historian Jack Granatstein told CP that should not stop the acknowledgement, noting there is a precedent based on honours awarded to Canadian units that fought in the Boer War between 1899 and 1902.

The other question is whether it's too early to be thinking about battle honours in a war that is still going on with no clear victory expected? Canada's last contingent of soldiers, now involved in training Afghan forces in and around Kabul, is due to come home by the end of March.

[ Related: The good, the bad and the ugly of Canada’s Afghanistan mission in Kandahar ]

The Conservatives have tried to put the Afghan war behind them and it's unlikely to make a big show of honouring units that fought there, especially since a significant number of Canadians opposed the Afghan mission.

"The question is what they'll do," Granatstein, a fellow of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, told CP.

"I doubt there will be a big parade of veterans. That somehow doesn't seem like something this government would do at this stage for Afghanistan."

The military apparently believes no commemorations should happen until after all the troops are home, CP said.

It seems unlikely that the process for awarding Afghan battle honours will be completed soon. The committees doing the research can take years to make recommendations.

Second World War battle honours weren't awarded until the late 1950s, more than a decade after that war ended, Canadiansoldiers.com notes.