generalspeaking

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Saint Justin Slaying the Anti-Equality Dragon

"[Crown Prince] Mohammad bin Salman was trying to send a message that he is not to be disrespected by anyone. Unfortunately, many Saudi students who were in Canada are paying a heavy price."
"Investors are looking more askance at Saudi Arabia, and none of this helps Saudi relations with the rest of the world."
Paul Sullivan, Saudi specialist, Georgetown University, Washington

"Canada is back," Trudeau mugged for the world's cameras at the signing of the Paris Accord in 2015. "We're Canadian," Trudeau told the U.N. General Assembly the following year, "and we're here to help." (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

When the smiley-face ebullience of Justin Trudeau, Margaret's "Golden Boy", was loosed on the world stage as Canada's spanking new prime minister he presented as an antidote to the taciturn, capable, resolute and intelligent Stephen Harper with whom the voting public had tired. How the public spirit soared at the prospect of this handsome young man with the temerity to offer himself as a public service to Canada with his great experience in drama and snowboarding excited expectations!

"Sunny ways" did it, Justin winked, as he boasted on the world stage introducing himself to other world leaders, that "Canada is back". Since then, we have learned that the Canada that never went away has shifted backward. Canada has become the world's silly clown, alternating between espousing progressive values and changing the social contract and its language, alerting 90 percent of the population that due diligence must be paid forward in soothing the emotional baggage of the dissatisfied ten percent as their due.

As for Canada's reputation abroad, it has become somewhat of a laughing stock, an administration that busies itself morally strong-arming its counterparts to give obeisance where it is due; Canada's version of social, cultural, international, economic imperatives to hoist the status of women and the traditionally socially-impoverished in a mission of achieving total equality.

Stephen Harper's cabinet gained close to parity between the genders, but Justin Trudeau appointed women to cabinet posts based on gender alone, it seemed not necessarily suitable qualifications which he deemed to be expendable; he had none, why would they require any?

Now it is attempting to placate the rage it inspired in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland demanded that the Saudis release a rights activist instanter. Liberal Party supporters like SNC-Lavalin, the Canadian unit of General Dynamics Corp., McCain Foods Ltd., and others stand to suffer as a result of a breach in relations whereby Canada's ambassador to the Kingdom was expelled, investments curbed, Saudi medical students recalled; a giant rebuff to Canada for interfering in Saudi Arabia's internal affairs.

Globally, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is increasingly being regarded as a pain in the arse, his virtue-signalling fails to impress internationally just as it is beginning finally to pall at home. When Trudeau jabbed China and India in trade discussions with his expectations on women's and minority rights he failed to endear himself and Canada to potential free trade partners. This, in addition to the sad state of Canada's third-class status in NAFTA negotiations, where once again Chrystia Freeland has assaulted the sensibilities of the U.S. top trade negotiator; a trading partnership made in hell.

So, sigh, what went wrong? Well, just about everything. The shining new prime minister who promised that his administration would tend to bolstering Canada's reputation abroad, take back its revolving seat in the United Nations, bolster the military and respond to peacekeeping requests has just been slapped down by the Organization for Economic Cooperation for its failure to restore foreign aid commitments to the level it enjoyed under the Harper government.