March 4th, 2005

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Politics
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Axworthy on the Missile Shield

Earlier in the week this site was host to some rigorous but civil debate about Canada’s participation in US missile defence program. Via Boing Boing again, former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy has written a snarky letter to Condoleezza Rice with his opinion:

As our erstwhile Prairie-born and bred (and therefore prudent) finance minister pointed out in presenting his recent budget, we’ve had eight years of balanced or surplus financial accounts. If we’re going to spend money, Mr. Goodale added, it will be on day-care and health programs, and even on more foreign aid and improved defence.

Sure, that doesn’t match the gargantuan, multi-billion-dollar deficits that your government blithely runs up fighting a “liberation war” in Iraq, laying out more than half of all weapons expenditures in the world, and giving massive tax breaks to the top one per cent of your population while cutting food programs for poor children.

Go Lloyd, it’s your birthday. I have positive memories of Axworthy’s time as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Here’s what Wikipedia thinks.

Comments: 5 Responses so far

David Lewis
March 4th, 2005
6:39 pm

Alright Lloyd. Kinda nice to see a CDN with some … err … balls. Such a very “un-Canadian” letter. Kinda makes me proud to be Canadian … in a whole different way than normal. Nice. Did someone just starch the Maple Leaf?

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Warren
March 5th, 2005
9:58 pm

As the architect of the CDN foreign policy of “soft power”, Lloyd has no balls. (Diplomatically speaking of course - pun intended).

When I read that he did up this wacky statement in the Winnipeg Free Press, I thought that maybe this was written by a U of W student who spoofed the WFP saying it came from Lloyd.

“I know it seems improbable to your divinely guided master in the White House that mere mortals might disagree with participating in a missile-defence system that has failed in its last three tests…”

Let’s see…put in the snark over GWB’s religious beliefs and make comments to a black woman from Birmingham Alabama about her “master”.

Do you think he’d appreciate if we referred to his old bosses Trudeau and Chretien as his “masters”?

Geez, what subtlety…what tact…and this guy was once supposted to be a diplomat?

No wonder this former Foreign Affairs super genius is now president of the second largest university in Winnipeg.

I’m not going to fisk this letter, as I should be doing other more productive things (the clothes need washing), but the one dumb point I saw was the comment about Canadaian balanced budgets vs US spending (love the cute contrast - Canadian spending on day care vs American “cutting food programs for poor children” - wow, don’t hold back Lloyd, tell us what you really think.).

Also loved the plug for the ICC (Sudan didn’t sign on - but that’s the Americans fault somehow?).

The UN cannot agree if Darfur is genocide, and sanctions are being block by China.

I’ll be waiting to see what similar friendly letter Lloyd drafts for China’s Foreign minister…oh wait, China didn’t sign on to ICC either. I won’t hold my breath waiting though.

It is pretty easy to slash our own defense spending, become free riders in International security, contract out our defense to the Americans, and then bitch about the consequences. Very Canadian of us.

Whenever I hear any of his statements, I think of John Manley’s comment about Canada sitting at the big table and running to the bathroom when the cheque arrives.

“And that there are times when truth must speak to power”. Whatever.

And people wonder why Canada doesn’t get much respect any more. Canadians are “deeply concerned” about lots of stuff. We just choose not to do much more than talk. And that’s pretty sad.

Lloyd, this is how grownups disagree with Americans. Read and learn…

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/cpress/20050304/ca_pr_on_na/liberals_ignatieff

“We know that to govern is to choose,” Ignatieff told the convention.

“We understand that no party can endure in office if it pretends to be all things to all people.”

Ignatieff’s point is good, you don’t just oppose things for sake of opposition, or pander to what is popular.

You need to express your principles why you oppose things, and propose reasonable alternatives.

You can disagree with the Americans without being disagreeable. You will usually get a more respectful hearing that way.

And if the Americans are right on some subject, and it is not popular to the Canadian public, then you go out, make the case and convince people.

That’s what leadership is supposted to be. Isn’t that what it used to be in Canada?

[Reply]

jp
March 6th, 2005
12:10 pm

Why am I not surprised that Axworthy was nominated for the noble peace prize and has won the order of Canada?

Isn’t the truth refreshing in Bush’s “surreal” world?

Thank you Mr. Axworthy. In an age in which double-speak, lies and deception have grown far too common, Canadians, and canadian children need to see someone with the guts to stand up say what the rest of are thinking.

The Bush administration has sought to discredit anyone that has spoken out against it. May brave and noble souls keep beating the drum of truth in the face of propaganda. I wish Mr. Axworthy well. Thank you again.

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Stephen
March 6th, 2005
7:41 pm

Thank you Lloyd for satiating my thirst for knee-jerk anti-americanism that I’ve come to love as it aligns perfectly with what I’ve learned represents my identity as a citizen of this brave non-american country!

I don’t know what we stand for, but I know what we stand against!

[Reply]

richard
March 8th, 2005
10:47 am

I was a WHOLE lot less diplomatic with MY open letter to Paul Cellucci….

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