The Ugly Canadian

[JohnyCanuck]

Nine ways we are ruining our once enviable reputation in the world.

It was really just a matter of time. The deep well of affection and respect around the world that Canada has drawn on for decades has been slowly poisoned by the Harper government (and the Liberals immediately before it) and the world is now taking serious notice. In the words of the famous Yes Men (who pulled off the brilliant hoax in Copenhagen): "We've always kind of grown up looking up to Canada... We've always thought that Canadians were such nice people and had much better policies than we did -- national health care and all that. And this is just a real disappointment for us, energy policy and learning that Canadians' carbon footprint per capita is higher than us." The Copenhagen conference may just be the final burden that brings us to critical mass, that qualitative leap where Canada is suddenly seen as a mean-spirited, disingenuous, and reactionary force in the family of nations.

Here are some of the most important image-busters in Canada's foreign policy bag of nasty tricks.

snip

Asbestos. It is the deadliest workplace substance in history, killing more workers in Canada than any other cause. And the deaths are increasing every year. Stephen Harper has explicitly declared himself the champion of Quebec asbestos and has dedicated himself to ensuring that asbestos is not declared a dangerous substance under the Rotterdam Convention. Thousands of workers in developing countries will die as a result. Canada challenged France's ban on asbestos through the WTO and lost, making the French environmental law one of the few to survive such a challenge and reinforcing the science declaring asbestos a class one carcinogen.

Terminator seeds. Terminator technology refers to seed genetically modified to produce sterile seeds that cannot be planted, forcing peasants around the world to purchase seeds every season. Globally, farmers would lose hundreds of millions of dollars in income. At the last meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Curitiba, Brazil, Canada joined Australia and New Zealand in trying to undermine the protocol, calling for a "case by case risk assessment" of terminator seeds, with the intention of allowing the technology to be approved through existing legislation for genetically modified crops. Canada and its partners failed in their efforts but not for lack of trying. Not a single company in Canada has expressed an interest in pursuing this technology -- so Mr. Harper casually trashed Canada's reputation for purely ideological reasons.

GMO food. Canada is on the front line of forcing people around the world to eat genetically modified food. It is using a big stick against Europeans. A November 2006 World Trade Organization ruling found in favour of a complaint brought by the U.S., Canada and Argentina that the EU had violated WTO rules through "undue delays" in approving genetically modified organisms. This in spite of the fact that Europeans' rejection of such foods has been growing over the 15 years that polls have been conducted. Even previously supportive leaders like President Sarkozy of France and the EU's environment commissioner have changed their mind citing new science.
Professional and creative writing courses start January.

The Afghan occupation and renewed militarism. While Canada is not alone in the endless and brutal occupation of Afghanistan, it is seen around the world as one of the most aggressive supporters of U.S. policy in that country and the region. Canada's long reputation as an "honest broker" in global geo-politics, while never entirely accurate, has been severely damaged. We are now seen not as a peacekeeper or peacemaker but as a killer of "scumbags" and a warrior state fighting the absurd American "war on terror." While there are more peacekeepers active in the world than ever before, we have a government that ridicules the very thing that gave Canada its humanitarian reputation.

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2009/12/17/TheUglyCanadian/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=211209

[HeresyLives]

1. Well, I'd separate the political from the scientific

in that article.

Afghanistan, Israel, Africa etc are political decisions. GMO, asbestos etc are scientific topics.

[glarius]

2. I disagree with you in only one respect....the loss of respect and affection

for Canada began with Harper....not the Liberals before him. It is Harper alone who has been going abroad spreading his hateful right-wing philosophy as being of Canada.

[HeresyLives]

3. Oh absolutely! Harper is misrepresenting

Canadians to the world. Most of us don't agree with any of his dingbat stances.

[gula]

4. Globally, farmers would lose hundreds of millions of dollars in income.

Not to mention the millions of deaths, since poor farmers can only grow using prior years seed.

But then again, they are poor and usually non white, so who cares, right?

[polly7]

5. A little o/t, but I just saw the documentary about the

asbestos strike in Quebec in 1949 that helped bring Trudeau into politics. I now understand why they wanted to separate from Canada so bad at that time ...... their own gov't had them beaten, imprisoned and completely abandoned them in favour of a foreign firm. Years of asbestos poisoning, so bad they couldn't even hang clothing outdoors, men dying years too early, white powder on everything ...... for years ......and they were beaten down for demanding better conditions. It was a very sad show.