John Baird was on Saudi television yesterday, slamming the Trudeau government for its treatment of Saudi Arabia:
"For Canada to treat a friend and ally this way has been incredibly unhelpful,” Baird told the English-language arm of Al Arabiya, the Saudi-owned equivalent of Al Jazeera.
Baird added that the best way to resolve the crisis would be for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fly to Riyadh to apologize in person to the Saudi royal family.
Baird was a blow-hard when he was foreign affairs minister and it's clear that he's still the same bag of wind that he used to be.
Oonagh Fitzgerald asks in today's Toronto Star, "Has Canada Mishandled It's Relationship with Saudi Arabia?"
There have been occasional flare ups between Canada and Saudi Arabia related to human rights issues in the past, and while the countries are not particularly close, diplomatic relations have not been effected — likely to allow discussions on difficult issues to continue.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chyrstia Freeland expressed concern last week that Saudi Arabia had expelled Canada’s ambassador, but emphasized that our embassy in Riyadh will continue its regular operations and specifically invited diplomatic dialogue on human rights.
It's worth remembering that, when Baird was our Foreign Affairs Minister, the Harper government closed its embassy in Iran. In doing so, Canada chose sides in the battle between the two countries. The Harper government was not interested in being an honest broker in the region. Neither is the United States under Donald Trump -- who praises Saudi Arabia but has backed out of the Iran Nuclear Deal.
Stephen Harper has cheered Trump's abandonment of that deal. Baird reminds us of what side the Conservatives are on.
Something to remember during the next election.
Image: twitter
8 comments:
Thank God he didn't swing again into Ontario politics. What gives him the right to make any comments at any level? Isn't he a private citizen? MJW
I have a feeling that the Conservatives are using every trick in the book to try to stir up support for their cause in the next election, Owen. Baird is but one of them. Take a look at the dog whistle Edmonton-area MP Shannon Stubbs is blowing: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/paula-simons-edmonton-area-mp-shannon-stubbs-out-of-touch-with-attack-on-omar-khadrs-former-lawyer
Sometimes it's wise to bite your tongue, zoombats. Baird has never -- it would appear -- followed that advice.
I get more curmudgeonly as I get older, Lorne. But it seems to me that, as time passes, those who identify themselves as conservatives just get dimmer.
I see the Cons still don't get the concept of hypocrisy. Here's Baird's tweet as Foreign Affairs Minister in 2015:
John Baird
✔
@Baird
Canada is deeply concerned by flogging of @raif_badawi - it is a violation of human dignity and freedom of expression http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2015/01/14a.aspx …
9:49 PM - Jan 14, 2015
I hope John didn't fly to Riyadh to make his statement. He's no longer protected by diplomatic immunity and could find himself beheaded if the religious police caught wind of his lifestyle.
Cap
Being too closely connected to the kingdom can cause all kinds of problems, Cap.
Bernier, Kenney, Baird, Harper, they're all bringing home the odious nature of conservatism in Canada in 2018. They really are a scummy lot, a good step down from where they were even just a couple of years ago. Perhaps they've watched how their American counterparts profited from nurturing a deeply divided society by spreading xenophobia and hyper-nationalism. At times they sound like Ezra Levant is drafting their policy.
Rather than aging gracefully, Mound, they just get uglier with each passing year.
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