(Canadian foreign minister) Baird concerned with Iran ties with Venezuela

[alp227]

Source: Canadian Press

Canada is increasingly concerned with the growing cozy relations between Iran and Venezuela and intends to press the issue with the regime of Hugo Chavez in Caracas next week, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Sunday.

"I'm concerned about Iran in general," he told The Canadian Press from Lima, Peru. "I'm concerned about their nuclear program. I'm concerned about their support of terrorism.

"And I'm concerned about their deteriorating human rights record at home. So I don't think we'll see eye to eye with Venezuela on that."

Baird is on an eight-day, six-country Latin American tour that also took him last week to Cuba, the hemisphere's most repressive anti-democratic country. He visits Caracas on Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/02/17/baird-chavez-iran.html

[SylviaD]

1. Baird is a dyed-in-the-wool arch-conservative...

...a close personal friend and lackey of Stephen Harper, the hard-right Canadian PM and head of the Conservative Party.

While assessing anything Baird has to say on an issue, remember he is a lock-step Conservative operative and enthusiastic Harper stooge.

[PDJane]

2. I'm much more concerned with Baird than either Iran or Venezuela.

The man is a waste of time.

[OnyxCollie]

3. No mention of oil.

What a surprise.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. C'mon, Canada, when are you getting rid of these Tory clowns?

[LiberalLovinLug]

5. we're trying we're trying...

For all its drawbacks, your two party system does have its advantages.

They won with 39% of the vote.

The other moderate to left parties split up the rest.

And I fear this may just happen again unless more Canadians sign up for strategic voting, where you vote for the candidate in your riding that most likely will win against a conservative, regardless of party.