Grumpy Cat
12-12-2010, 11:45 PM
Last month, archeologists unearthed a street lined with sphinxes in the Egyptian city of Luxor.
We have to wonder if they found any remnants of Canada’s once-strong record on foreign policy down there.
Maybe that’s a little harsh. Nonetheless, Canada’s prominence on the international stage started back in 1956 when Lester Pearson launched the world’s first peacekeeping mission during the Suez Crisis.
Today, Canada’s failure to gain a seat on the UN Security Council is just the latest in a series of gaffes that make Suez seem like ancient history. The government and the opposition need to look beyond finger-pointing for ideas on how to restore our reputation.
The last 12 months of foreign policy haven’t exactly reflected our past. When it comes to dealing with other nations, there is a well-known list of blunders.
Because greenhouse gases know no borders, the environment is one issue requiring international dialogue. But Canada has been unwilling to co-operate and makes weak commitments while subsidizing the oil industry back home.
Then last month, federal Environment Minister John Baird said we would abandon a plan to harmonize climate change efforts with the United States after the White House announced tougher standards for cutting emissions at large industrial facilities.
Meanwhile, in an ongoing saga, we stubbornly refused to negotiate with the U.S. on repatriating Omar Khadr from Guantanamo Bay. We could have taken a strong position in helping to shut down the controversial prison and in defence of child soldiers. Instead, our inaction led to a plea bargain that will likely see him transferred to Canada anyway.
Meanwhile, our defence minister was barred from United Arab Emirates airspace, a country that was viewed as a Mideast ally, after the government couldn’t negotiate landing rights for a commercial airline in Canada.
These well-publicized embarrassments don’t paint the picture of a nation that shows respect (and subsequently gets it) internationally. Neither did our chance at redemption in June as host to the G8 and G20 summits.
Here, the government vowed to put maternal health at the top of the agenda. But just two months earlier, the government cut funding to 14 women’s groups in the span of two weeks.
These cuts included one organization working to socially and economically empower women in the developing world — two things proven to cut maternal mortality.
This contradiction gave G8 leaders little confidence in Canada when they invaded Huntsville. Prime Minister Stephen Harper only managed to marshal $5 billion from other countries to tackle maternal mortality, with Canada putting up $1 billion.
As the leaders debated, Canadians expressed their anger towards the expense. French President Nicolas Sarkozy weighed into the debate, making a public statement in Toronto that the summit he hosts next year "will cost ten times less."
The Liberals were quick to jump on the Tories for the security tab and the 1,100 arrests that occurred that weekend. They have reason to criticize. But the official opposition hasn’t exactly inspired confidence itself.
Take Bill C-300. The responsible mining bill sponsored by Liberal MP John MacKay was designed to help clean up Canada’s mining industry, which has been implicated in several human rights violations overseas. But Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and a number of other prominent party members failed to attend their fellow MPs’ vote. It was defeated by just six votes.
Days later, the Liberal industry critic voted with Conservative MPs to water down Bill C-393. It was meant to strengthen legislation that sends cheap versions of generic drugs for HIV/AIDS treatment to developing nations.
In the end, there’s much blame to be shared for Canada’s wavering reputation. But therein lies the problem.
After six years of minority government, the country that’s home to the father of peacekeeping hasn’t seen much of it in Parliament. Instead, infighting has produced some hardly inspiring results. That endangers our country’s rich tradition.
The government and the opposition need to put Canada’s international reputation back on the agenda rather than burying it under bad decisions for some archeologist to dig up.
The country that’s home to the father of peace-keeping hasn’t seen much of it in Parliament.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/TheNovaScotian/1216715.html
We have to wonder if they found any remnants of Canada’s once-strong record on foreign policy down there.
Maybe that’s a little harsh. Nonetheless, Canada’s prominence on the international stage started back in 1956 when Lester Pearson launched the world’s first peacekeeping mission during the Suez Crisis.
Today, Canada’s failure to gain a seat on the UN Security Council is just the latest in a series of gaffes that make Suez seem like ancient history. The government and the opposition need to look beyond finger-pointing for ideas on how to restore our reputation.
The last 12 months of foreign policy haven’t exactly reflected our past. When it comes to dealing with other nations, there is a well-known list of blunders.
Because greenhouse gases know no borders, the environment is one issue requiring international dialogue. But Canada has been unwilling to co-operate and makes weak commitments while subsidizing the oil industry back home.
Then last month, federal Environment Minister John Baird said we would abandon a plan to harmonize climate change efforts with the United States after the White House announced tougher standards for cutting emissions at large industrial facilities.
Meanwhile, in an ongoing saga, we stubbornly refused to negotiate with the U.S. on repatriating Omar Khadr from Guantanamo Bay. We could have taken a strong position in helping to shut down the controversial prison and in defence of child soldiers. Instead, our inaction led to a plea bargain that will likely see him transferred to Canada anyway.
Meanwhile, our defence minister was barred from United Arab Emirates airspace, a country that was viewed as a Mideast ally, after the government couldn’t negotiate landing rights for a commercial airline in Canada.
These well-publicized embarrassments don’t paint the picture of a nation that shows respect (and subsequently gets it) internationally. Neither did our chance at redemption in June as host to the G8 and G20 summits.
Here, the government vowed to put maternal health at the top of the agenda. But just two months earlier, the government cut funding to 14 women’s groups in the span of two weeks.
These cuts included one organization working to socially and economically empower women in the developing world — two things proven to cut maternal mortality.
This contradiction gave G8 leaders little confidence in Canada when they invaded Huntsville. Prime Minister Stephen Harper only managed to marshal $5 billion from other countries to tackle maternal mortality, with Canada putting up $1 billion.
As the leaders debated, Canadians expressed their anger towards the expense. French President Nicolas Sarkozy weighed into the debate, making a public statement in Toronto that the summit he hosts next year "will cost ten times less."
The Liberals were quick to jump on the Tories for the security tab and the 1,100 arrests that occurred that weekend. They have reason to criticize. But the official opposition hasn’t exactly inspired confidence itself.
Take Bill C-300. The responsible mining bill sponsored by Liberal MP John MacKay was designed to help clean up Canada’s mining industry, which has been implicated in several human rights violations overseas. But Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and a number of other prominent party members failed to attend their fellow MPs’ vote. It was defeated by just six votes.
Days later, the Liberal industry critic voted with Conservative MPs to water down Bill C-393. It was meant to strengthen legislation that sends cheap versions of generic drugs for HIV/AIDS treatment to developing nations.
In the end, there’s much blame to be shared for Canada’s wavering reputation. But therein lies the problem.
After six years of minority government, the country that’s home to the father of peacekeeping hasn’t seen much of it in Parliament. Instead, infighting has produced some hardly inspiring results. That endangers our country’s rich tradition.
The government and the opposition need to put Canada’s international reputation back on the agenda rather than burying it under bad decisions for some archeologist to dig up.
The country that’s home to the father of peace-keeping hasn’t seen much of it in Parliament.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/TheNovaScotian/1216715.html