Saturday, November 24, 2007

Canada alone at Commonwealth

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/11/23/commonwealth-climate.html

Canada, who has a legacy of acting as a progressive vanguard within the Commonwealth, such as the leadership role it played on the Apartheid issue, has become, under the Conservatives, a road block to progress on a global issue. With the defeat on John Howard, Harper becomes the only leader to stand on the side of denial and dismissiveness of the climate change issue, and his lack of leadership is risking Canada's position as a positive influence on global affairs within international bodies, as also demonstrated by dismissal of the UN vote on the death penalty. This lack of leadership can be contrasted to Dion's decisive action at the UN Conference on Climate Change in 2005, where he got 191 nations to agree on a climate change agenda. The Conservatives cry "Canada's Back" when discussing foreign policy, but the governments actions have only shown "Canada's backwards".

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