In the end, they were comments too outrageous to ignore. And that's why a Fox News host in the U.S. has officially issued an apology to Canadians for a panel's recent statements on this country's soldiers in Afghanistan.
The controversy was sparked after a recent broadcast of a late night show called "Red Eye" that made fun of Canadians for wanting 'time off' from the front lines, something a Canadian official suggested would be a must after we leave the war torn nation in 2011.
It came just days before
four more Canadians died in roadside explosions on Friday.
The five minute segment makes reference to a statement from Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, the Canadian Forces Chief of Land Staff, that military personnel would need a year off when their mission in the war torn nation ends in 2011.
The pundit laughingly defends Canada, noting it's only natural that they would need "manicures and pedicures" after so many years of battle.
The host, Greg Gutfeld, makes fun of Canada's military presence altogether. "The Canadian military wants to take a breather to do some yoga, paint landscapes, run on the beach in gorgeous white capri pants," he smirks. "Isn't this the perfect time to invade this ridiculous country? They have no army."
Another panelist makes it clear he wasn't aware we had troops on the ground overseas. "I didn't even know they were in the war. I thought that's where you go if you don't want to fight - you go chill in Canada," he said.
The show offended many, but was especially hurtful to the family members of Canadian soldiers who have died while serving their country.
Jihan Falah Diab is one of them. Her son, Marc Diab, was recently killed by a roadside bomb.
"Oh my God, I can't even (watch). I can't watch this," she said when
CityNews showed her the footage.
"That's the most ridiculous show I have ever seen. It's very hurtful, very. This means we are just doing all of this for nothing? No."
"I don't know if they could ever, ever make it better, even if they apologize, I don't think so, I don't think so," she said.
The federal government demanded an official apology for the broadcast, which a spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay calls "despicable, hurtful and ignorant."
"No one is laughing and they owe Canada - and, more importantly, the families of each one of our fallen heroes - an apology for their ill-informed mistakes," an angry government spokesman Dan Dugas - himself a former broadcaster- makes clear.
Gutfeld now insists his comments were taken out of context and in no way were meant to disrespect our soldiers.
"I realize that my words may have been misunderstood," he writes. "It was not my intent to disrespect the brave men, women and families of the Canadian military."
The comments also outraged Paul Marek, a Saskatoon blogger whose son is fighting in the war.
"I know that the purpose of that show is to be irreverent and humorous, right? But I think they picked the wrong topic and they showed just incredible ignorance as to what Canada's done," he tells
CityOnline. "It was really crass and tasteless and I found it very offensive."
And he notes the irony that our troops get along very well with their American counterparts, who are both fighting for the same goal.
Has there been any reaction from those on the ground? "I just mention it to them and they just laugh at it," explains Marek. "They're so busy doing their job that, you know what? They couldn't really care less."
The segment aired last week, before four more Canadians died in a roadside bomb. Those latest casualties of war came home on Monday.
The video has since turned up on the web (we've embedded it below, so you can judge for yourself) and drawn thousands of comments, the vast majority of them negative.
A Facebook group has already popped up featuring furious complaints from Canadians.
You can add your comment or read others here.
We asked for your responses on this story and can't recall ever receiving so many emails so quickly on any recent issue.
Check out some of them here.
Canada has lost 116 soldiers in the fight against the Taliban since our mission there began in 2002.
Fallen soldiers return home