Ezra Levant
PING!
Posted on 10/02/2006 10:34:19 AM PDT by GMMAC
Tres bien, Steve
Harper goes against the Francophonie flow
Calgary Sun
October 2, 2006
By Ezra Levant
If you think the United Nations is the epitome of corruption and irrelevance, then you don't know about the Francophonie.
Created in 1970 as a counterweight to the British Commonwealth of Nations, the Francophonie has 53 members -- France, its former colonies, and other jurisdictions where French is spoken. So of course Francophonie "summits" were a favourite junket of prime ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin. Unlike at the UN, the U.S. has no veto over resolutions passed at the Francophonie (they are not a member).
The Francophonie is a Liberal's dream -- a France-centric attempt at world government. It was a favourite of politicians ranging from Pierre Pettigrew to Saddam Hussein. It accomplished very little, but in French.
Last week, Stephen Harper attended his first Francophonie summit, held in Romania (official language: Romanian; secondary languages: Hungarian and German). It was a good symbolic effort for a prime minister from Calgary looking to make inroads in Quebec, and it no doubt afforded Harper a chance to read the riot act on the plane over to Jean Charest, about the Quebec premier's macabre attempts to politicize the shootings at a Montreal school. (It is a precious conceit of Quebec and New Brunswick premiers to attend Francophonie summits as participants. How else would the likes of Bernard Lord and Charest ever get to fly to Romania on the taxpayers' dime?)
But this Francophonie summit actually had a moment that mattered: Stephen Harper said "no" to a resolution, to the shock of the delegates from assorted democratic role models such as Rwanda and Chad.
The gathered grandees thought they would do the usual Francophonie thing -- issue statements about the future of the French language, and pass an anti-Israel statement. Normally, they'd never get a hiccup of objection from Chretien or Martin.
But when the Egyptian government (official language: Arabic) proposed a resolution consoling only Lebanese victims of the recent Israel-Hezbollah war, Harper objected.
"We can't recognize victims only on one side, of Lebanon, and not mention the victims from Israel," Harper explained to a stunned Francophonie.
Of course, what the Francophonie thinks about the war on terror is largely irrelevant -- that war is being prosecuted primarily by the U.S., U.K., and Australia, with help from a list of countries that, by and large, doesn't include Francophonie members.
Canada's increasingly vigorous role in Afghanistan is making us an exception, and Harper's objection to the Francophonie resolution is in keeping with our new moral assertiveness.
No doubt Canada's bureaucrats and diplomats were as apoplectic as the Egyptians at how gauche Harper was (that's what they'd say in French).
But Harper prevailed and made Canada more than just a useless rubber-stamp for political correctness, which we had become. We took a stand. And we actually succeeded in changing a bad resolution to a good one.
Of course, it doesn't matter substantively. Even in Lebanon, nobody cares about the Francophonie -- they didn't even send their prime minister.
But it matters morally. Slowly and consistently, Harper and the Conservatives are taking back Canada's once-proud place as a world leader, as a moral role model, not a useless "me-too" country, applauding like seals to the latest inanity from Paris or Moscow. It was a proud moment.
Ezra Levant
PING!
A very proud moment indeed.
PM Stephen Harper has been giving us a lot of those lately.
:-D
Very well done Stephen Harper!
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.
also Keywords 2006israelwar or WOT [War on Terror]
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I am very proud of the Prime Minister. He is a real leader.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
and driving the lefties in Toronto crazy in the process. I got a skinful from some more the other day when they found out I supported him.
What could they possibly complain about?
They make stuff up. One of them simply said, "What has Harper done anyway?"
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