Sticking It To Canada

There are persuasive arguments to be made about cautioning not to make enemies who are powerful, not to offend such entities, not to challenge them, not to make a fuss about actions they may take that appear less than palatable, and to simply let things be. But that is the direction taken by those who really haven't the courage of their convictions. And the current Government of Canada prides itself on having the courage of its convictions.

And it is paying the price for that. Ignore the warnings at one's peril. Take on the challenge of insisting that some values are quite simply not interchangeable, that there are universal absolutes of right and wrong and that moral relativism is not a position that the Government of Canada on behalf of the country it governs, wishes to stand behind and stand prepared to defend that challenge.

Giving opportunity to influential and wealthy nations to feel umbrage at positions taken that run counter to their desires is an actual invitation to disturbing pay-back. Reasonable minds might not anticipate that in protecting the interests of the country one governs, one runs the very real risk of alienating another country that has designs that will deleteriously impact on the country's interests.

Denying permission to the United Arab Emirates to more frequent landings of their two air carriers from Toronto to Dubai created an international spat of surprisingly childish effect; an unheard-of snub of Canada's Chief of Defence Staff and Minister of Defence to land at a Dubai-based Camp Mirage military hub which Canada used as a base camp to and from Afghanistan. Along with an invitation to decamp entirely from Dubai; permission to retain Camp Mirage become a mirage.

But then, Canada wasn't held in very fond embrace by the Arab League in any event, giving great offence by its support and co-operation with the State of Israel, favouring it quite clearly, over the conflicting conditions imposed upon it by its Middle Eastern neighbours. Umbrage well earned, and sufficient to ensure that a malicious plot would ensue to deny Canada a seat on the revolving Security Council. More come-uppance.

Obviously, Canada's defunct diplomatic relations with Iran, a non-Arab Muslim country whom the Sunni-majority Arab nations in the Middle East loathe with the exception of Syria, was insufficient to offset its offence at befriending Israel. A concerted effort to isolate Canada, just as Israel is isolated at the United Nations is being undertaken with serious affect.

Israel isolated for its offence at being a Jewish state in an Arab-Muslim enclave, and Canada isolated for its offence at supporting Israel.

On April 23, Arab United Nations ambassadors held a meeting in New York ostensibly to discuss issues relating to Palestinian affairs. Along with those discussions focusing on the Palestinian Authority, other discussions revolved about rallying international organizations with which the Arab League has considerable sway, in support of further isolating the Government of Canada.

A penalty, or any number of them, must be extracted in punishment of Canada's choices.

For its part, Qatar has developed a plan, seeking to dislodge the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations group tasked with determining global rules for airplane transportation, from Montreal, where it has been ensconced since 1947. Qatar has plans to gather sufficient votes from among 115 countries to allow it to meet its goal for re-location of the ICAO to Doha.

Canada's government, understandably, is less than pleased.

"Qatar is a small country with a very small population with a lot of money and they want to build a world-class city. We're so fortunate that in Canada, in Montreal, in Quebec, we already have a great world-class city", commented Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird. 

"I'm certainly not aware of any serious complaints about how we host the organization. Montreal's a sophisticated city that is a hub of the aerospace industry around the world. There is absolutely no reasonable case to move the centre out of Montreal."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Time and the tides of men will tell.