A rchive Date
[ 21-03-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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[http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/brodbeck.html
We're Canucks and proud
By TOM BRODBECK - Winnipeg Sun
March 21, 2003
I can't for the life of me understand all this caterwauling about how Canada has supposedly "turned its back" on the United States. I know it plays nicely into the gullible notion that the U.S. is all things good and wholesome and the rest of the world is all things evil. But this "I'm embarrassed to be a Canadian" shtick is laying it on a bit thick.
Last time I checked, we are a sovereign country in good standing with the international community.
And when it comes to serious national issues, such as when, where and against whom to wage war, we reserve the right to kowtow to no one. We are Canadians and we'll make up our own minds, thank you very much. I believe we've earned it.
The U.S. has decided to launch a pre-emptive attack against another country that is not an imminent threat, without the approval of the United Nations and without the backing of most of the world.
IT'S NO BIG DEAL
It's not the first time they've acted out of step with the majority of the world. Nor is it a precedent that Canada decides not to fight alongside its American friends or develop diplomatic relations with its enemies.
Canada didn't participate in the Vietnam War. And we've long had diplomatic relations with Fidel Castro's Cuba - one of the U.S.'s longest standing foes.
It's no big deal. Our American friends know we're going to part company on some issues. But we're still friends and we'll remain strong trading partners. That's because it's mutually beneficial. The U.S. doesn't sign trade agreements with us out of charity. They get something out of it.
And they don't maintain diplomatic relations with us out of benevolence, either. Having Canada as a friend isn't such a bad thing to have, both politically and geographically.
And it goes without saying that our friendship with the U.S. benefits us massively in so many ways. We're quite lucky. But that doesn't mean we support the U.S. unconditionally at every military turn. Those who think we should are the true "trained seals."
If George W. Bush jumped off the bridge, are we supposed to follow?
Calling Canada's decision not to participate in the Iraq invasion "anti-American" is hopelessly naive and intellectually lazy.
Seriously, if invading the dozens of countries around the world run by murderous little dictators was the solution to our problems, we would have done it long ago.
There are millions of Canadians who love America and everything it stands for who oppose this war, including yours truly.
There are millions more Americans who oppose the war against Iraq, too. I'd hardly call them anti-American. They're simply exercising one of the greatest rights that Americans have - freedom of expression.
Bush has his motives for invading Iraq and he'll have to deal with the consequences. But it doesn't mean we're not friends anymore.
George W. is not my favourite U.S. president. But I love him, anyway. Heck, he's like a brother to me.
Tom Brodbeck is the Sun's city columnist. He can be reached by e-mail at tbrodbeck@wpgsun.com Letters to the editor should be sent to editor@wpgsun.com
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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