By Beryl Wajsman, Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The Liberal Party of Canada's foreign and defense policies have been driven by political expediency and opportunism since at least the beginning of the Second World War. They have been characterized by a national provincialism devoid of principle or purpose other than a fear of engagement. In recent decades its contours have been decided by an almost knee-jerk anti-Americanism and ambivalence towards any allies of the United States. They are the policies of those riddled by a self-doubt fuelled by a jealousy of others self-belief. Jocelyn Coulon, the Liberal candidate in the upcoming Outremont by-election, should fit right in.
In his diaries MacKenzie King made it clear that he was more concerned with the political fallout in Quebec over conscription than by any threat from Adolf Hitler. His private and public words often demonstrated the worst manifestations of appeasement in his failure to condemn the Nazi menace. His immigration policy of "none is too many" regarding Jews fleeing Europe has gone down in the annals of infamy. Only when left with no option did he attack Adrien Arcand and his brownshirts and put the full weight of this nation into the war.
Lester Pearson's vaunted role in developing "peacekeepers" following the Suez crisis was more a construct to protect the dignity of the British and offer them an elegant way out. Though many words are spent by Liberals paying homage to Canada's supposed "peacekeeping" tradition, they are in no way committed to expanded engagement by this nation in our real tradition of "peacemaking". They recoil from the idea that this country carry its fair share in mankind's struggles for redemptive change. The expansion of democracy and the survival and success of liberty are not Liberal hallmarks.
Pierre Trudeau gutted Canada's NATO role. He enjoyed thumbing his nose at the United States and other western allies by befriending Castro and apologizing for Mao. In continental issues the Liberals opposed free trade and branded Brian Mulroney an American lackey.
Jean Chrtien reduced Canada's foreign military missions by almost two-thirds and allowed the Forces to stagnate both in terms of men and materiel. His rival Paul Martin will always be remembered as the man who went to Libya for oil leases and called Muammar Khaddafi, the butcher of Lockerbie, a man with a "philosophical bent of mind".
The current crop of Liberal leaders continues in this tradition. Stephane Dion ranges from benign neglect to dangerous naivet in his view of the world. Michael Ignatieff accused Israel of "war crimes" and Defence critic Denis Coderre marched at the head of last summer's Hezbollah rally in Montreal.
Jocelyn Coulon's well-known, and well-worn, critiques of America, Israel and the west will continue this bankrupt and hypocritical tradition. It seems that Liberal leadership has always demanded allegiance to narrow-minded parochialism and a defense of failed states, and cultures, right to be wrong. To them it's some perverse demonstration of Canadian "independence". I can't understand the surprise of so many that given his views Coulon was chosen as a candidate. I would only have been surprised if he hadn't been. He fits right in with "more of the same".
In this most dangerous of worlds, it is to be hoped that voters in Outremont send a message to "les rouges" that the time for dilettantes and straw men is over. Outremont, on September 17th say "ca suffit" to the Liberals and M. Coulon. It's time to end the charade.
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