Harper's secretive, manipulative and furtive way of governing is now reflected in Canada's various positions in the international arena, from climate change to war to chrysotile asbestos. The Oil Sands are in Alberta, the home province and stronghold of Harper and chrysotile asbestos is mined in the riding of Industry Minister Paradis, in Quebec where the Ref/Con won only 5 of 75 seats in the last election. Self-preservation is the order of the day, but the way in which they have gone about it is of grave concern.
Canada has always been highly respected for its peacekeeping and arbitrating role in international affairs. It was Lester Pearson who established the peacekeeping role of the United Nations which helped to end the Suez Crisis and in the years after, Canada did yoeman service to uphold that role.
It gained a reputation of standing up for the small"guys" and was in the lead to reduce tensions between and among nations and not rush into America's war (Pearson stood up to Johnson over Vietnam and Chretien over Bush on Iraq11) as has been the case under Harper(Libya) and before that Mulroney(Iraq). We are now peacemaker/war maker as a means of solving all problems, from Afghanistan to Libya
Climate change exposed Harper's tactic of "delayng and denying" until time ran out. He also adopted a "behind the scene" strategy of plotting and letting others carry out the dirty work. This is once again illustrated with chrysotile asbestos at the international conference convened to consider whether to put limits on the export. Here Canada sided with Iran, Kazakstan, Vietnam, Ukraine and Kyrgystan in opposition to limits, but whereas these countries came out in the open, Canada hid behind them and only ventured into the open when India (one of the chief importer), came out in support of limits, followed by Ukraine and Russia. Canada hid behind the smokescreen of dissenting voices of smaller exporting countries.....but when it sensed that there might be a consensus and that chrysotile will be listed, it broke its silence and said no, Madhu Datta , campaigner from India..Canada spoke up only after it feared that Russia and Ukraine would reverse their position, said Guy Versailles of the Chrysotile Institute.
Just days before, Chuck Strahl, a senior Tory cabinet minister before he retired from politics in May because of health reasons...he was suffering from lung cancer, which he attributed to his exposure to asbestos, called on Harper and Paradis to list this carcinogen on Annex 111 of the Rotterdam Convention, which would mean that recepient countries must be informed of the hazards and can refuse to accept the product,if they believe that they cannot handle it safely. Well, Chuck may have learned the hard way but his plea has been ignored and so Canada will get its way, for no consensus was reached and therefore it can continue to make money over other people's suffering and death. The product is banned in CANADA. Shame on Canada for thinking that we are better than others in the developing world. We get protection and they do not.
We can kill them with our war/bombing. We can do so with our Tar Sands pollution and we can do so with Chrysotile Asbestos, so Harper can maintain his political control over Alberta and Paradis can get elected in Megantic- L'Erable, home to Canada's/ Quebec last remaining asbestos mine. SHAME,SHAME, SHAME!!!!
Canada has always been highly respected for its peacekeeping and arbitrating role in international affairs. It was Lester Pearson who established the peacekeeping role of the United Nations which helped to end the Suez Crisis and in the years after, Canada did yoeman service to uphold that role.
It gained a reputation of standing up for the small"guys" and was in the lead to reduce tensions between and among nations and not rush into America's war (Pearson stood up to Johnson over Vietnam and Chretien over Bush on Iraq11) as has been the case under Harper(Libya) and before that Mulroney(Iraq). We are now peacemaker/war maker as a means of solving all problems, from Afghanistan to Libya
Climate change exposed Harper's tactic of "delayng and denying" until time ran out. He also adopted a "behind the scene" strategy of plotting and letting others carry out the dirty work. This is once again illustrated with chrysotile asbestos at the international conference convened to consider whether to put limits on the export. Here Canada sided with Iran, Kazakstan, Vietnam, Ukraine and Kyrgystan in opposition to limits, but whereas these countries came out in the open, Canada hid behind them and only ventured into the open when India (one of the chief importer), came out in support of limits, followed by Ukraine and Russia. Canada hid behind the smokescreen of dissenting voices of smaller exporting countries.....but when it sensed that there might be a consensus and that chrysotile will be listed, it broke its silence and said no, Madhu Datta , campaigner from India..Canada spoke up only after it feared that Russia and Ukraine would reverse their position, said Guy Versailles of the Chrysotile Institute.
Just days before, Chuck Strahl, a senior Tory cabinet minister before he retired from politics in May because of health reasons...he was suffering from lung cancer, which he attributed to his exposure to asbestos, called on Harper and Paradis to list this carcinogen on Annex 111 of the Rotterdam Convention, which would mean that recepient countries must be informed of the hazards and can refuse to accept the product,if they believe that they cannot handle it safely. Well, Chuck may have learned the hard way but his plea has been ignored and so Canada will get its way, for no consensus was reached and therefore it can continue to make money over other people's suffering and death. The product is banned in CANADA. Shame on Canada for thinking that we are better than others in the developing world. We get protection and they do not.
We can kill them with our war/bombing. We can do so with our Tar Sands pollution and we can do so with Chrysotile Asbestos, so Harper can maintain his political control over Alberta and Paradis can get elected in Megantic- L'Erable, home to Canada's/ Quebec last remaining asbestos mine. SHAME,SHAME, SHAME!!!!
