Opinions

Did Martin fall on his head?

If you believe that Paul Martin is committed to "eliminating the democratic deficit" in Canadian politics, chances are you're also looking to buy some development lands in Siberia. Every action this prime minister has taken to date has debunked the notion that he cares at all about democracy. In fact, I question whether he even understands what the term "democracy' really means.

Want proof? How about his recent visit to The People's Republic of China. As most people who watch CNN know, China isn't exactly famous for being a democracy or even being too squeamish about human rights. Tiananmen Square and Falung Gong are just two examples of the harsh repression of which Beijing is capable.

Yet here's Paul, making like Marco Polo, and pretending that the Chinese government is on an equal footing, democratically speaking, to a Western democracy. Can't blame him, though. In Canada's "I'm okay-You're okay" climate of multicultural moral relativism, we can accept anything, no matter how sordid.

A joint statement issued by Canada and China on January 20, 2005 reads like something straight out of National Lampoon, considering China's track record on human rights

"We exchanged views on the question of human rights and the fundamental importance of respecting and protecting these rights. We highly value the annual bilateral human rights dialogue held between Canada and China, which contributes to a greater mutual understanding of human rights issues.  Both sides express support for the broadening and expansion of dialogues and exchanges in the field of human rights."

Does this mean the Canadians told the Chinese that human rights were of the utmost importance and the Chinese answered "Yes, but…" and then explained that culturally speaking Chinese preferred a totalitarian regime, and then did they agree to meet someplace nice every year and talk about it some more?

Then there is the issue of Taiwan. Following the civil war between the forces of Mao Dse Dong and Chiang Kai Shek, Chiang's forces chose exile on the island of Taiwan over living under communism. Now the Chinese are making noises that they want to finish the job and subjugate Taiwan, as well. It's galling that our prime minister would tacitly support the concept of an invasion of the island of Taiwan by Chinese forces, all in the name of "re-unification". Here's what was said in the same joint declaration:

"China reaffirms that there is only one China in the world, that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government to represent all of China, and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory.  Canada reaffirms its adherence to its One China policy and is opposed to any unilateral action by any party aimed at changing Taiwan's status and escalating tensions which would have an impact on the political stability and prosperity of East Asia."

You can read between the lines. Canada supports the one-China concept, but would rather it didn't take place as a result of an invasion.

Last week Martin really put his foot in it when he asserted that the reason the Syrians were occupying Lebanon was to bring peace to the region. Really? You could have fooled me as well as the Israelis, as Hezbollah, a terrorist group operating under the auspices of Iran and Syria, used Lebanon as a jumping-off point to kill and maim hapless Israeli civilians. He was so far off the mark, that even the French, the Egyptians and the Saudis were to the right of his position!

But then these governments weren't forged in the crucible of Maurice Strong's tutelage, who single-handedly created this Frankenstein prime minister by "mentoring" him in business and politics.

It's a cinch that if your world view is influenced by someone who would rather rule people by fiat without all the bother of elections, as does Mr. Strong, who is currently serving as United Nations Undersecretary General and Chairman of the Earth Council, then expecting them to know the difference between a dictatorship and democracy is a stretch.

It's conceivable that someday in the very near future Martin and his Liberals will insist that elections are unnecessary in a properly functioning democracy, so long as those in office have their heart in the right place. The voters of Canada would do well to look closely at how the Liberal Party and its leadership view the concept of "democracy". If not, there might not be another chance to vote after the next election.