Neocon Canadian PM doesn't care about citizens neutral stance on mid-east war

[Grimmlok]

Aug. 4, 2006. 01:00 AM
LES WHITTINGTON
OTTAWA BUREAU


CORNWALL, Ont.—Stephen Harper, whose government has slipped sharply in the polls amid concerns about Conservative foreign policy, is showing no sign that he will alter his controversial approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"There are all kinds of so-called opinion leaders and interest groups who have tried to block our agenda, but we know where we stand, we know where we are going," the Prime Minister told Conservative MPs and supporters at a caucus retreat here yesterday.

In an apparent response to his party's sudden drop in opinion surveys, Harper delivered a rousing campaign-style speech listing his government's goals, accomplishments and commitments.

"When given the choice between moving forward with our government or turning back the clock with the Liberals, Canadians will choose to move forward," he told the party faithful.

Despite polls showing that many voters would prefer Ottawa to play a neutral, peacekeeping role in the Middle East, the Conservatives said they are not moving away from their current stance on the Arab-Israeli war. Along with the United States, Canada is continuing to oppose calls by European governments for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Israel.

"There has to be a ceasefire in conditions that will allow for a lasting peace," Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay repeated yesterday when asked if Ottawa would join the international demands for an immediate cessation of Middle East fighting.

Like U.S. President George W. Bush's administration, the Harper government insists a ceasefire would be fruitless as long as Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon can still threaten Israel with military incursions or rockets.

But MacKay said Canada remains concerned about the humanitarian crisis created by the armed conflict, which has led to hundreds of civilian deaths and left hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Lebanon.

"Everyone in the international community is focusing on how we bring about an end to the violence, how we get humanitarian relief to the people who need it most — the now hundreds of thousands of people who are displaced, who are nomadic now, living in refugee camps inside Lebanon," he told the media.

MacKay said the Conservatives are considering federal financial aid to help alleviate the humanitarian emergency in the Middle East.

The Middle East is a hot topic at the three-day retreat, MPs said.

"I acknowledge that the polls certainly are showing shifting public opinion," said Conservative MP Garth Turner when asked about public reaction to the government's Middle East policy.

But he declined comment, saying Harper's experience has shown it's best to keep quiet on this issue right now.

"Giving any kind of a comment in the middle of a conflict is a pretty tough thing to do. The Prime Minister found that, I'd find that right now," Turner, the MP from Halton riding, told reporters.

The caucus meeting winds up today.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...l=968342212737

This fucktard is RUINING canada's international ability to be a peacebroker with this idiotic Bush-lite government.

The sooner we can cause his government to collapse the better.

[boots]

^ I hope you're right cause I hate Haper and his conservatives. They are going against what canada stance on peacekeeping an war.
Harper has his head so far up Bush's ass, its not even funny