Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
He does his job very well, especially considering the difficulties and odds he faces, vis-a-vis a minority-government situation, a global recession, a perpetually, pathologically hostile "news" media and such. He's made Canada a world leader. Let's give him plenty of time to continue with his work...
Perspective here...
Yup. A blog post by a regular, ordinary Canadian reminding us of what matters.
The sort of stuff you won't get from the "mainstream" newsmedia, which is clearly in the tank for the Liberal Coalition and closed-mindedly, dogmatically, pigheadedly opposed to all things Conservative just because they think there's something wrong with doing what's proven to work (capitalism, freedom, democracy, the rule of law, traditional values, and strong national defence capability to help ensure that no foreign entity can take these things away from us, plus robust defence of national constitutions against those who seek to scrap them to pursue a radical, dangerous agenda) and being careful not to do stuff that's proven NOT to work (ie. socialism-communism-fascism, which is what the "Progressive" "Liberal" "Left" wants to impose upon us against our will).
7 comments:
The reason the American anti-socialist angst doesn't translate well in Canada is because what American conservatives consider "socialist" and "liberal" has been mainstream Canadian practice and policy for decades. Canadian conservatives can talk the talk but when it comes to actual policy and platform they can't walk the walk because they know that conservative prescriptions do not enjoy majority support in this country. The best that Canadian conservatives can do practically is chip away at the edges of the modern State and continue broadcasting their message.
IMO of course.
Canadians better pray that this Conservative government remain in power for the safety and security of canada.
Coalition parties particularly these ones(ndp bloc libs) have proven time and time again that they are no more interested in the common man than they are for Canada.
Who stood with canadians during the recession-PMSH and his party and the canadian public while the other parties, instead of understanding the situation, dictated (FORCED) the PM to make changes to things which the PM would not have done.
I can guarantee you not many canadians know the dilemna the PM faces each day against the coalition and their media coalition.
The MEDIA COALITION(CBC CTV GLOBAL G/M T/S-fourth parties) have been at the center of this mess. Lying manipulating insulting even mocking their own fellow canadians, Canada and the PMSH and Conservative Party has become the media daily routine. Nothing of good news is acceptable by them by PMSH is allowed nor seen on air.
UN loss despite written promises from 135 nations
Edwards, Postmedia News · Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010
UNITED NATIONS - Canada's historic loss in its bid to win election yesterday to the United Nations Security Council came despite written promises of support from 135 countries, Postmedia News has learned.
The total, signalled by senior government insiders, would have been more than enough to assure Canada victory in the ballot. Canada withdrew from a run-off against Portugal after twice running second to the diminutive European state.
The result means that the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the first to have failed to maintain Canada's record of winning a place on the 15-member body -- the UN's most powerful -- once a decade since the UN's 1945 launch. While the vote in the 192-member UN General Assembly is secret, broad opposition by members of the Islamic bloc appear to have scuttled Canada's chances of returning to the council for the 2011-2012 two-year term.
The Harper government's shift toward support for Israel compared to positions held by previous Liberal governments had not gone down well with members of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference, officials based at the UN revealed yesterday.
One senior Islamic official also signalled that OIC members felt snubbed after Canada did not follow Portugal's example of addressing the increasingly influential bloc as a group--even though Canadian officials say there were ministerial and other meetings with many individual Islamic states.
continue...
But the Canadian campaign appears to have successfully shored up broad backing in Africa -- where critics of the government had claimed countries were angry because of a consolidation of Canadian development aid.
Speaking earlier during a post-vote press conference, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon declared that support had been strong -- but gave no specifics.
"We did have strong commitments and strong support, and we're very thankful to those countries that, indeed, did give us written support and committed to Canada," said the minister, who had been in New York to lead Canada's final push for backing.
Joao Gomes Cravinho, Portugal's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, addressed OIC member states while campaigning in New York on behalf of his country.
"He basically appealed to the OIC group for their support and, in the absence of Canada doing the same, they got support from the OIC member states," said a senior Islamic country official, who asked not to be identified because of the diplomatic sensitivity of his comments.
"This underlines the growing influence of the OIC group at the UN."
According to the official, Mr. Cravinho impressed many IOC members through his assertion that Portugal backs the Arab Peace Initiative in the Middle East. First proposed in 2002, the initiative calls for a "comprehensive" regional settlement in which Israel would revert to its borders before the 1967 Six-Day War, which Israel says was a defensive action.
Canada asserts that Israel's borders should be fixed according to what's agreed in talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The official also suggested that many OIC countries may see Canada as being too close to the United States, noting that Canada now often sides with the United States and also Israel on a number of "initiatives of interest" to the Islamic bloc.
"In looking at Portugal and Canada, there is a thought that it is balanced versus not balanced," the official said.
Other insiders revealed yesterday that Brazil, the most populous Portuguese-speaking country, had itself been quietly telling Arab countries that a vote for Canada is as good as a vote for the United States.
A spokesman for the Brazilian mission to the UN said he knew nothing of such an assertion, and pledged to inquire with senior officials in Brasilia.
Mr. Harper met separately with both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres while attending the UN annual summit last month. Officials, meanwhile, confided that "a number" of the written pledges of support were from OIC member states.
Senior African officials cast doubt on long-standing claims by Harper government critics in Canada that Africa's UN member states played any significant role in Canada's loss.
"Canada co-ordinates a number of portfolios at the UN, such as women's issues, which are key to Africa," said one official with the 53-member African Union. "I don't know of any [widespread] negative feeling in any African country as far as Canada is concerned."
But the official also said many African countries will have had a hard time picking between Canada and Portugal because "both enjoy really good relations with Africa."
The assembly elected five new members in all, with clean slates offered by the other regional groups. India, Colombia and South Africa join Germany and Portugal as new Security Council members.
In the first ballot, Germany obtained 128 votes, Portugal 122 and Canada 114.
In the second round, Canada obtained only 78 votes while Portugal obtained 113. The required majority in the second round was 128
http://www.nationalpost.com/loss+despite+written+promises+from+nations/3661435/story.html
continue...
But the Canadian campaign appears to have successfully shored up broad backing in Africa -- where critics of the government had claimed countries were angry because of a consolidation of Canadian development aid.
Speaking earlier during a post-vote press conference, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon declared that support had been strong -- but gave no specifics.
"We did have strong commitments and strong support, and we're very thankful to those countries that, indeed, did give us written support and committed to Canada," said the minister, who had been in New York to lead Canada's final push for backing.
Joao Gomes Cravinho, Portugal's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, addressed OIC member states while campaigning in New York on behalf of his country.
"He basically appealed to the OIC group for their support and, in the absence of Canada doing the same, they got support from the OIC member states," said a senior Islamic country official, who asked not to be identified because of the diplomatic sensitivity of his comments.
"This underlines the growing influence of the OIC group at the UN."
According to the official, Mr. Cravinho impressed many IOC members through his assertion that Portugal backs the Arab Peace Initiative in the Middle East. First proposed in 2002, the initiative calls for a "comprehensive" regional settlement in which Israel would revert to its borders before the 1967 Six-Day War, which Israel says was a defensive action.
Canada asserts that Israel's borders should be fixed according to what's agreed in talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The official also suggested that many OIC countries may see Canada as being too close to the United States, noting that Canada now often sides with the United States and also Israel on a number of "initiatives of interest" to the Islamic bloc.
"In looking at Portugal and Canada, there is a thought that it is balanced versus not balanced," the official said.
Other insiders revealed yesterday that Brazil, the most populous Portuguese-speaking country, had itself been quietly telling Arab countries that a vote for Canada is as good as a vote for the United States.
A spokesman for the Brazilian mission to the UN said he knew nothing of such an assertion, and pledged to inquire with senior officials in Brasilia.
Mr. Harper met separately with both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres while attending the UN annual summit last month. Officials, meanwhile, confided that "a number" of the written pledges of support were from OIC member states.
Senior African officials cast doubt on long-standing claims by Harper government critics in Canada that Africa's UN member states played any significant role in Canada's loss.
"Canada co-ordinates a number of portfolios at the UN, such as women's issues, which are key to Africa," said one official with the 53-member African Union. "I don't know of any [widespread] negative feeling in any African country as far as Canada is concerned."
But the official also said many African countries will have had a hard time picking between Canada and Portugal because "both enjoy really good relations with Africa."
The assembly elected five new members in all, with clean slates offered by the other regional groups. India, Colombia and South Africa join Germany and Portugal as new Security Council members.
In the first ballot, Germany obtained 128 votes, Portugal 122 and Canada 114.
In the second round, Canada obtained only 78 votes while Portugal obtained 113. The required majority in the second round was 128
http://www.nationalpost.com/loss+despite+written+promises+from+nations/3661435/story.html
continue...
But the Canadian campaign appears to have successfully shored up broad backing in Africa -- where critics of the government had claimed countries were angry because of a consolidation of Canadian development aid.
Speaking earlier during a post-vote press conference, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon declared that support had been strong -- but gave no specifics.
"We did have strong commitments and strong support, and we're very thankful to those countries that, indeed, did give us written support and committed to Canada," said the minister, who had been in New York to lead Canada's final push for backing.
Joao Gomes Cravinho, Portugal's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, addressed OIC member states while campaigning in New York on behalf of his country.
"He basically appealed to the OIC group for their support and, in the absence of Canada doing the same, they got support from the OIC member states," said a senior Islamic country official, who asked not to be identified because of the diplomatic sensitivity of his comments.
"This underlines the growing influence of the OIC group at the UN."
According to the official, Mr. Cravinho impressed many IOC members through his assertion that Portugal backs the Arab Peace Initiative in the Middle East. First proposed in 2002, the initiative calls for a "comprehensive" regional settlement in which Israel would revert to its borders before the 1967 Six-Day War, which Israel says was a defensive action.
Canada asserts that Israel's borders should be fixed according to what's agreed in talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The official also suggested that many OIC countries may see Canada as being too close to the United States, noting that Canada now often sides with the United States and also Israel on a number of "initiatives of interest" to the Islamic bloc.
"In looking at Portugal and Canada, there is a thought that it is balanced versus not balanced," the official said.
Other insiders revealed yesterday that Brazil, the most populous Portuguese-speaking country, had itself been quietly telling Arab countries that a vote for Canada is as good as a vote for the United States.
A spokesman for the Brazilian mission to the UN said he knew nothing of such an assertion, and pledged to inquire with senior officials in Brasilia.
Mr. Harper met separately with both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres while attending the UN annual summit last month. Officials, meanwhile, confided that "a number" of the written pledges of support were from OIC member states.
Senior African officials cast doubt on long-standing claims by Harper government critics in Canada that Africa's UN member states played any significant role in Canada's loss.
"Canada co-ordinates a number of portfolios at the UN, such as women's issues, which are key to Africa," said one official with the 53-member African Union. "I don't know of any [widespread] negative feeling in any African country as far as Canada is concerned."
But the official also said many African countries will have had a hard time picking between Canada and Portugal because "both enjoy really good relations with Africa."
The assembly elected five new members in all, with clean slates offered by the other regional groups. India, Colombia and South Africa join Germany and Portugal as new Security Council members.
In the first ballot, Germany obtained 128 votes, Portugal 122 and Canada 114.
In the second round, Canada obtained only 78 votes while Portugal obtained 113. The required majority in the second round was 128
http://www.nationalpost.com/loss+despite+written+promises+from+nations/3661435/story.html
But the Canadian campaign appears to have successfully shored up broad backing in Africa -- where critics of the government had claimed countries were angry because of a consolidation of Canadian development aid.
Speaking earlier during a post-vote press conference, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon declared that support had been strong -- but gave no specifics.
"We did have strong commitments and strong support, and we're very thankful to those countries that, indeed, did give us written support and committed to Canada," said the minister, who had been in New York to lead Canada's final push for backing.
Joao Gomes Cravinho, Portugal's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, addressed OIC member states while campaigning in New York on behalf of his country.
"He basically appealed to the OIC group for their support and, in the absence of Canada doing the same, they got support from the OIC member states," said a senior Islamic country official, who asked not to be identified because of the diplomatic sensitivity of his comments.
"This underlines the growing influence of the OIC group at the UN."
According to the official, Mr. Cravinho impressed many IOC members through his assertion that Portugal backs the Arab Peace Initiative in the Middle East. First proposed in 2002, the initiative calls for a "comprehensive" regional settlement in which Israel would revert to its borders before the 1967 Six-Day War, which Israel says was a defensive action.
Canada asserts that Israel's borders should be fixed according to what's agreed in talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The official also suggested that many OIC countries may see Canada as being too close to the United States, noting that Canada now often sides with the United States and also Israel on a number of "initiatives of interest" to the Islamic bloc.
"In looking at Portugal and Canada, there is a thought that it is balanced versus not balanced," the official said.
Other insiders revealed yesterday that Brazil, the most populous Portuguese-speaking country, had itself been quietly telling Arab countries that a vote for Canada is as good as a vote for the United States.
A spokesman for the Brazilian mission to the UN said he knew nothing of such an assertion, and pledged to inquire with senior officials in Brasilia.
Mr. Harper met separately with both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres while attending the UN annual summit last month. Officials, meanwhile, confided that "a number" of the written pledges of support were from OIC member states......
http://www.nationalpost.com/loss+despite+written+promises+from+nations/3661435/story.html
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