Andrew Coyne has written the following concerning PM Harper's trip to Afghanistan:
"Implicit in Mr. Harper’s address is a very different sort of nationalism: a nationalism of moral purpose. Canada exists to do good, for its own people and for the world. It is defined by its beliefs and measured by its acts, not by the virtues of its people, real or imagined. Indeed, it makes no claim to uniqueness in this regard, but rather upholds principles that are timeless and universal. But it aspires to be the best exemplar of these: in Mr. Harper’s words, to 'be a leader.'"
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When our rapid-response team was (belatedly) send out to help the tsunami victims by the former Liberal government, we were told that the purpose of the rapid-response team was "to enhance Canada's image to the world".
I thought at the time, "who cares what the rest of the world thinks of us?. We should be sending the team out not because of what the world may think, but because IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO".
Image vs. moral purpose. A clear juxtaposition of liberal vs. conservative values.
3 comments:
My understanding is that the $400 million assigned to the tsunami relief has not left Canada. Apparently it is still in a CIDA bank account.
Does anyone have any updated information on this fine example of Liberal compassion.
What happened to your money? Is this information still valid?
http://canadafreepress.com/2005/cover042605.htm
But from the day they arrived, the Canadian DART members were stymied in their simplest requests for basic items such as tents, water pumps, parts for boat engines, and fibreglass to repair the Sri Lankan boats.
I was approached by angry and frustrated young Canadian soldiers asking me if I would donate some money, along with theirs, so they could buy parts for the 1960s motors they were working on.
They also asked me if I would take pictures of them giving their groundsheets to the people in a displaced persons' camp. I refused. I know from experience what would happen to their careers when the bureaucrats in Ottawa found out.
All 200 of us realized very quickly that the money promised on Jan. 3 by the Prime Minister of Canada was not going to arrive, even though the interest alone on the original $80 million would have accomplished miracles.
What we received instead were arrogant and nasty members of the non-governmental organization community, led by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The NGOs made it very clear that they did not like working with the military. This was not going to be a joint effort.
The DART asked CIDA for spark plugs, points, condensers, alternators and distributors to get the Sri Lankan fishermen back on the water. The answer from the CIDA representative: "I've sent a request to Ottawa."
Three and a half weeks into the Canadian mandate, a meagre $50,000 was released with great pomp. It probably represented two days' interest on the amount of money CIDA is sitting on.
Average Canadians donated their money to get tsunami victims immediate help, not years later. The Sri Lankans have been told by their own media that Canadians have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help them. Four months later the bureaucrats in Hull are playing God, not just with taxpayers' dollars, but with donated money that came with no strings attached--windfall for CIDA and its contractors.
Where is the $425 million? The NGOs and CIDA have an automatic response: "We're here for the long term." In other words, don't ask, because it's none of your business.
Meanwhile, the people of Sri Lanka are in exactly the same condition they were in one week after their lives were shattered by a wave 32 feet high travelling at 500 miles an hour. If you were among the millions of Canadians who donated to tsunami relief, aren't you curious about what happened to your money?
I'm glad to see that my readership has bounced back to its former levels!
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