By Mike Archer. First Stephen Harper showed his disdain for the United Nations by ignoring our international commitments and refusing to attend their meetings. He let it be known he considered the UN a waste of this time.
Then he seemed to go out of his way to ignore the international community and allow Canada’s reputation as a middle power to deteriorate and disappear.
Then, in 2014 when domestic political issues and a faltering economy began to make his chances of re-election dim, he suddenly discovered international affairs, abandoned Canada’s well-crafted role as a significant middle power with the ability to negotiate and mediate international conflicts and became the most bellicose and belligerent pint-sized player on the world stage.
More than any other Western leader, or anyone with a real army, he insulted, berated and attacked Russian president Vladimir Putin but was at a loss to come with any significant contribution to the NATO efforts to contain the expansionist Russian leader. Then Putin sent his jets to give us a little taste of what a man with a real army who intends to use it does to blowhards like Harper.
Then after sending Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to the Middle East to convey his messages of disdain for ISIS and rattling our non-existent sabers at the deadly terrorist organization, he agreed to take us to war without so much as a ‘by-the-way’ to Parliament and seems to have caused a very real threat to the lives of Canadians abroad.
Will this man stop at nothing in order to turn Canadian voters’ attention away from his record of allowing the economy to fail, denying climate change, supporting US oil interests and allowing senate corruption to take over the body politic on his watch?