Peter Mackay, Defence Minister in The Harper/Dion Government Re-defines Canada’s Goal in Afghanistan.
The public gallery in the House of Commons was filled with protesters, who called out, "End it! Don’t extend it". It was a reference to Canada’s war in Afghanistan. Peter Mackay, in his inimitable way, responded to the protest. He said that the vocal opposition from the public represented "expressions of a healthy, vibrant democracy".
Mackay then went on to make a quite inane statement.
With reference to the Canadian protesters, Mackay said that the government’s goal in Afghanistan is to instill the same "type of diversity and freedom of expression".
Hmmm. And here I thought it was to "fight terror" and install a "stable" government…maybe even do a little re-building after all the damage we and the Russians caused. So it came as a surprise to see that the goal is entirely different.
After hearing and reading the remarks I began to wonder just what fictional dream world this government lives in. What movie are they playing in? What’s the name of this docu-drama?
Is this why Dion supported the government motion?
Because he agrees that we should instill a Canadian-style "diversity and freedom of expression" in Afghanistan?
This is the first I’ve heard that our goal in Afghanistan is to instill Canadian-style "diversity and freedom of expression".
If that’s really the goal then we can quite likely expect to be there – not just a year or 2 or 3 or 4 – we can expect to be there forever.
(But of course, that’s not really the goal, now is it?. Surely they can’t be thinking about instilling "freedom of expression" in a country where a journalism student is condemned to death for promoting womens’ rights. What in God’s name are these people thinking about??
And as this government – with its Liberal Rump of Support – leads us all deeper into this war, it has made every effort to kill legislation aimed at helping our kids get a better education.
It really, really does make you wonder doesn’t it.
He really did say that honest.
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The case of Canadian Brenda Martin, jailed in Mexico is just another shocking example of just how bad the Mexican justice system really is. It’s going to be awhile before Canadians start booking trips to Mexico.
Read more here
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Not that the American justice system is a lot better than Mexico’s. Peter Mackay ought to have a closer look at how the United States dispenses its brand of justice. Maybe he could do a little "instilling" down there.
If Ignorance is bliss….
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One of the few bright spots I found this morning was this one about one of the few leaders in this country who deserves that name.
Dalton McGuinty is showing a lot of political smarts.
He has fortitude, common sense and he behaves – mostly anyway – in a rational, sensible way.
When former premier Mike Harris unexpectedly announced in December
the planned privatization of the power grid, Dalton McGuinty said he fully
supported it, along with deregulation and competition on the generation side.His only concern, he said at the time, was his lack of confidence
in the government’s track record on privatizing effectively.
However, he was soon crusading against the sale of Hydro One, all
the while denying that he’d ever held a different position — until
he was confronted with tape of his initial comments late last week."I honestly believed I’d never said that (I was in favour),"
McGuinty said. "I didn’t recall at the outset that I’d said what I’d said."However, the opposition leader said he’d learned a valuable lesson.
It takes guts to admit you were wrong.
Perhaps Dalton will take a stab at the federal leadership spot. God only knows, we need someone in Ottawa with some ability and a willingness to act on principle.
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