I see token military postings like this in the same way as the practice of taking women and children as human shields. No civilized person would dare shoot at such a shield.
No one believes that the Canadian contingent would be relevant to any shooting conflict. However, if our weak Canadian contingent were to take fire while engaging in some security operation, that would get a lot more sympathy and support than if the same happened to an American outfit.
In other words, the Canadians are there as potential lead sponges.