A Dithering Nation North of the 49th Parallel

This has been a very busy week for Canada’s Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Paul Martin was in Brussels addressing NATO, of which Canada has become a very “bit-player” under decades of Liberal governance, since we contribute so little in cash, manpower and equipment.

Canada’s military has become so pathetic that we can’t even move our troops around the world without renting airplanes from countries like Russia. And when we sent our troops to fight Islamic TERRORISTS in Afghanistan, we sent them with the wrong uniforms because we couldn’t afford to dress them appropriately.

But not to fear! Canada does have opinions.

Paul Martin was beaming as he stood before the media declaring that Canada will be the conduit in discussions between the USA and Europe. WOW!

THANK GOD FOR CANADA!

If Paul Martin and his Liberal Party weren’t willing to be front and center to provide the incredibly difficult and dangerous task of organizing how the Americans and Europeans can talk to each other; what would the world do?

Then upon his return home to Canada, Paul Martin released his long overdue budget.

WOW again!

Spending increases across the board. More money for the military. More money for healthcare. More money for education. More money for transfer payments to the provinces. More money for child daycare. More money for Natives. More. More. More.

AND TAX CUTS!

I don’t know how the government can spend more money and tax less. But it doesn’t really matter since much of Martin’s 2005 budget doesn’t really kick-in until 2008.

And now for Paul Martin’s greatest achievement of this past week. PARTNERSHIP IN NORTH AMERICA’S MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM.

According to Canada’s not yet installed Ambassador to the USA, former New Brunswick Premier, Frank McKenna said in a press interview in the USA that Canada was already in the North American Missile Defense System.

And then . . . WHACK! Canada isn’t in.

Yesterday; February 24, 2005, Paul Martin announced that Canada will not participate in the Missile Defense System of its own country.

The Americans are still shaking their heads in disbelief.

Whether Canada is in or not, the Missile Defense System will still go ahead. But without any input whatsoever from Canada.

And once the system is up and running, if there is a missile threat coming to North America over Canadian skies, Canada won’t be invited to offer so much as an opinion of what should be done about it.

More than that. If Canada is for whatever reason a target of a missile attack, it will be up to the Americans, and the Americans alone to decide upon which course of action to pursue.

The reason Canada said no to the Americans is simply because Paul Martin doesn’t want to piss-off Quebec nationalists who are inherently anti-American.

And he didn’t want to piss-off Canadian Leftists who vote for the Socialist NDP Party who are inherently anti-American.

And he didn’t want to piss-off the Leftist Liberals in his own caucus who are inherently anti-American.

Does there seems to be a common thread here?

Paul Martin has placed his next election fortunes ahead of the economic and security well-being of Canada. He has surrendered our place at the table to buy-off Quebec nationalists and Canada’s Socialist votes.

I wonder how Paul Martin had the chutzpah to go to the Americans cap in hand, asking them to reverse their positions on their importation of our soft-wood lumber and beef, while at the same time we pretended to be in support of their Missile Defense System, only to tell them to screw-off when standing with them counted most?

It’s like we’ve seen this movie before under Jean Chretien, who was with the Americans in their lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, only to crap out at the last second.

That’s Canada alright – The True North Strong And Free.

Just don’t ask us for anything that might be a little inconvenient, costly, dangerous or committal. And don’t expect Canada to stand for anything other than giving the appearance that we really matter when we don’t.

The True North Strong And Free – What A Joke.