A Foreign Affair

Throughout his tenure I often contended that Bill Graham was probably the worst Foreign Minister Canada ever had. However, given the performance of the present incumbent in that office, Pierre Pettigrew, I almost find myself wishing for the return of Graham. I said almost.

I guess that given the amount of time he has spent in his pied-a-terre in Paris, Pettigrew has picked up the French way of conducting foreign affairs. And given the Liberal bias against the US, Israel, the war in Iraq, and the war on Terror, his incomprehensible judgment calls seem to perfectly fit the French mould.

Recently he went off to the Middle East. The purpose of the trip wholly escapes me, but there he was laying a wreath at the grave of the Great Terrorist, Yasser Arafat. As I wrote in a letter to the National Post:

National Post
Monday, February 14, 2005
Re: Pettigrew Assailed For Arafat Tribute, Feb. 12.
I suppose it may not surprise other readers that Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew would honour one of the world's leading terrorist murderers. But I think that act was shameful in the extreme.
And then to read that two members of the Canada Israel committee, who were traveling with the Minister, condoned the action is also highly disturbing.
Everyone seems to agree that Mr. Arafat was the main obstacle to peace, and so to heap honour on him on behalf of Canada sends the wrong message at this time.
I can understand Mazen Chouaib pointing out on behalf of the National Council of Canada-Arab Relations that, "Arafat, whether we like it or not, was democratically elected by the majority of the Palestinian people." I would simply point out that Adolf Hitler, too, was democratically elected. I might even go so far as to point out that the similarity does not end there.
© National Post 2005

I doubt even Bill Graham would have been so insensitive or so foolish. But Graham can take pride in the fact that his successor borrows from him as well as the French. We all recall how Graham dithered and stalled to avoid declaring Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The excuses were legion. He claimed Hezbollah did good work in education, but neglected to mention that it was educating the members in making bombs and killing innocent women and children. He also claimed that Hezbollah was a political party as well as a collection of thugs and killers, and we should overlook the latter to preserve the former.

And now Graham can look with pride on Pettigrew who yesterday refused to declare the Tamil Tigers a Terrorist entity. His reason was that to do so would interfere with negotiations presently under way in Sri Lanka. But he takes it one step further and says that the US has asked him not to declare the Tamil Tigers to be terrorists, although the US has long ago done so.

My simple question is, are they or are they not terrorists? As quoted by CP, the Minister states they are. Isn't that an end to the matter? And since when do good Liberals take instructions from the US? Isn't he afraid that Carolyn Parrish may attack him as being born of an unwed mother?

Bob and weave, do the dipsy-doodle, avoid decisions, blame everyone who is not a Liberal; that is Canada's foreign policy for the last twelve years. Mike Pearson must be turning in his grave, given what is happening to the Department which he led for years. One did not always agree with him, but he articulated and implemented policies. This present bunch, integrity and policy are concepts totally foreign to them. That is why Pierre Pettigrew is Minister of foreign Affairs.