Our Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, stood up in the House of Commons today and said that Canada would not participate in a war against Iraq unless it was under a new UN resolution. Since I can only speak for myself, I wish to apologize to the rest of the world, especially the US, for this. Canada has a moral, ethical and political right to side with our largest ally. Even if our armed forces couldn’t defend a small park, we should be there in some capacity, on side with the US.
One of the reasons the PM came down with this out-of-left field utterance, is that he is a blithering idiot surrounded by the head-injured and terminal sufferers of that terrible disease, Self-Importance. There was no preliminary discussion about the Canadian role in the Gulf, aside from let diplomacy work first. Pow, out of the clear sunny day, we’re not going to step up.
The second reason, I am surmising here, is that he is going to retire sometime in February of 04. The leadership contest to take over the Liberal party (and the top job) is underway now, with Paul Martin, Sheila Copps and John (Beaker) Manley running for the big chair. When Chretien stood up in the house an announced our non-involvement, it became policy of the Government. All three, Martin, Copps and Manley, are sitting Government Members. They are now effectively gagged by Government Solidarity on speaking out, in any way, for anything dealing with a pro-US stance on Iraq.
Chretien threw a hook shot as a lame duck PM to smack down dissent. It is a sign of a bitter, vicious old political hack to pull that kind of mean bullshit. But it is what he did. I’m sorry.
RoadDave 