While George W. Bush was dedicating his new term yesterday to "ending tyranny in our world," Paul Martin was defending the Communist police state of China's sorry record of human rights infractions.
And that's the blunt difference between the American president as he enters his second four-year term and Canada's Liberal prime minister as he shakily clings to power.
[. . . . ] So why is Martin so gutlessly quiet about China's crimes?
It's the part in between where Bob MacDonald is informative! Do link.
[. . . . ] So, while President Bush is out to spread freedom and democracy in the world, Martin is out to boost trade and pick up some votes.
European-based BNP Paribas bank
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's own son
Swiss firm
European-based BNP Paribas bank
French bank
Power Corporation
familial relationship
Middle East, in China
Pargesa Holding
Canadian Desmarais family
TotalFina Elf
Andre Desmarais
former Prime Minister Jean Chretien
Current Canadian PM Paul Martin
Maurice Strong
Sudanese regime
Earlier this week, we criticized the federal government's indefensible reluctance to place the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- better known as the Tamil Tigers -- on its list of prohibited terrorist groups. As we noted, the group has cast Sri Lanka into a lengthy civil war that has killed 60,000 people, many by suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks. Since much of the Tigers' funding comes from Tamils living in Canada, the move to outlaw the LTTE would be more than mere symbolism: It would save lives.
So when federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler met with this editorial board on Wednesday, the topic was at the top of our agenda. Our meeting began in promising fashion: Mr. Cotler spoke in high-flown terms about a "principled" approach to fighting terrorism, explaining the importance of "stat[ing] clearly, unequivocally that terrorism constitutes an assault on the security of a democracy and on the fundamental rights of its inhabitants."
The logic is here. Worth reading.
[. . . . ] But the Justice Minister has been forced to accommodate the crass reality of electoral politics -- in particular, the Liberals' need to pander to ethnic constituencies, even when the values espoused by their most militant leaders clash head-on with hallowed Canadian "principles."
Mr. Cotler must do all in his power to convince his colleagues that this is one instance in which there are bigger issues at play than a few ethnic votes. If they don't agree, perhaps he should rethink whether this is a Cabinet he belongs in.
As man of principle, he will probably have to remove himself from this portfolio. Certainly, the party to which he belongs . . . . . Well, fill it in for yourself.
