generalspeaking

Canada/Israel Relations

"Canada remains a steadfast supporter of Israel and Canada will always defend Israel’s right to live in security."
"I understand that many of you were alarmed by this decision [when Canada voted 'yes' on a UN Human Rights condemnation of Israel in November]."
"The government felt that it was important to reiterate its commitment to a two-states-for-two-peoples solution at a time when its prospects appear increasingly under threat."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at menorah lighting on Parliament Hill

"This vote reflects poorly on Canada’s record as a defender of democracy and justice. It stains Canada’s reputation."
"Just last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured the Jewish community that Canada would 'always defend Israel’s right to live in security'. Voting for this resolution is not in line with that commitment."
Michael Mostyn, CEO, B’nai Brith Canada

"[The resolution condemned Israel’s security barrier but it] omits to mention that it was built in response to the Second Intifada which killed or wounded 8,341 Israelis by Palestinian suicide bombings, suicides, stoning, stabbings, lynchings, rocket and other methods of attack."
"[Canada has chosen the position of] standing with the jackals [by voting yes]."
Hillel Neuer, director, UN Watch

"[Canada voting for the resolution was an example of] cultural corruption playing out in real time  [and was] trading its integrity [for a seat on the Security Council]."
"This is a resolution that Canadian governments for years have voted against'.” 
"I speak from experience when I say the United Nations presents many opportunities to strike a deal with the devil."
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper unblinkingly assured Israel that there was no question that Canada would always stand in support of the right to existence of the State of Israel. He fully supported and understood the necessity of Jews to have a homeland of their own, to return to their original geographical Judaic heritage and re-establish their presence where they were once exiled to establish  a world-wide diaspora but never forgetting their origins dating back thousands of years in the Middle East in the land of Judea before the tribes were dispersed.

In November, Canada voted for a controversial resolution within the United Nations that was co-sponsored by North Korea, Zimbabwe and the 'State of Palestine' among others, that condemned Israel as the "occupying power in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem". A speciously absurd statement without any foundation in history both ancient and current. 'Palestine' was originally concocted as a place-name identifying with Jewish residence, coopted in modern times by Arabs declaring themselves the 'original' Palestinians, not the Jews.

Moreover, the timeless Judean capital of Jerusalem now being claimed by Palestinian Arabs as their very own, bears no factual resemblance to reality nor heritage and history. The Islamic conquest of the Middle East and beyond robbed Jews of Jerusalem, and of their homeland. The Palestinian 'cause' is simply a reiteration of ancient wrongs and wrongdoings, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation within the United Nations has succeeded in isolating, slandering and victimizing Israel, in consequence of a Jewish presence in a wholly Islamic geography.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, centre, meets with heads of Israeli settlement authorities at the Alon Shvut settlement in the West Bank on Nov. 19. Canada has affirmed it does not share the U.S. view that Israel's settlements in the West Bank are legal under international law. (The Associated Press)

''Although it was a slow process … I am delighted. [The vote was] 'very significant, very positive.''

''I was involved personally in extensive discussions with my colleagues in the foreign ministry in Ottawa'[leading up to the vote]"

 ''But still we have a lot more to do.''

Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour

The change in Canada's voting position where it usually votes against the 16 recurring Palestinian resolutions brought before the General Assembly on an annual basis, is now obvious. The issues revolve around East Jerusalem, sovereignty over natural resources, Israeli settlements and in general, the "occupation" whereby Israel protects itself and its population from violent ongoing attacks from Palestinians incited to violence, and from Palestinian terrorist groups intent on annihilating the Jewish state.

 
Yesterday, the UN General Assembly adopted six non-binding resolutions all of which as per formulaic determination, single out and criticize Israel, lacking any indication whatever of knife attacks by Palestinians, of the deliberate and vicious incitement by the Palestinian Authority, of the institutionalized hate machine that teachers Palestinian children through school curricula, through songs and plays, and televised programs aimed at them that Jews are their aggressors and they must aspire to become martyrs to the cause of freeing Palestine, minus Israel.


Canada's longstanding role of supporting Israel at the United Nations, and its past commitment alongside a limited number of countries dedicating themselves to preventing "Israel bashing" appears to be history. Canada joined 163 other countries on Wednesday in support of the motion leaving only the United States, Israel itself, and three others opposing it.

This is a surprising, abrupt and totally confusing departure from Canada's voting record for the years 2014 - 2015. Not only under the previous Conservative-led government, but under both Conservative and Liberal governments of the past, when Canada under all administrations demonstrated its support for Israel ranged against the UN's abysmal record of singling out Israel for condemnation on countless numbers of accusations led by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and unfailingly supported by the union of Non-Aligned nations and, sadly, the
European Union.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's focus is on his Security Council revolving two-year seat campaign. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne's 'mandate' from the prime minister was quite specific in directing him to "lead Canada's United Nations Security Council campaign" as a top priority, challenging Norway and Ireland, both themselves campaigning vigorously for that seat, both having lobbied to that end for over a decade. Ireland is seen as the EU favourite, while Norway is acknowledged for its annual generous foreign aid contributions.

So Canada has decided that its chances would be enhanced by abandoning its long-held commitment to the defence of Israeli presence and security in the Middle East to curry favour with the huge voting bloc represented by countries of the Islamic Cooperation group. But this should not come as a huge surprise, the signs and signals were all there, and all the favour-currying on the part of Canadian-Jewish groups hoping to ensure Canada's continued support of Israel, has come to nought.

The United Nations monitoring organization UN Watch, had undertaken a petition launched after November's vote, for the purpose of amassing a collection of signatures hoping to impress upon the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau that it would represent an honourable decision to disown its last choice in voting against Israel. There were close to 40,000 signatures when the final vote was cast, when Canada's decision to stay the course for leaving Israel to its fate as an outcast, was described as a "Faustian bargain".

Nikki Haley Condemns Canada's UN 'Deal With the Devil'

Labels: Government of Canada, Politics of Convenience, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, United Nations

posted by Pieface @ Thursday, December 19, 2019

Trudeau's Hardball Interference

"[Trudeau's office and the Privy Council Office were] having kittens over references to explicit cabinet discussions in Cudmore article. Launching an investigation ... UFB."
"They'll all be distracted from the actual capability gap as they execute a witch hunt for who quoted who ... sigh"
"He's [Cudmore, CBC reporter] going to draw some really aggressive attention. The source of that document will be investigated by the RCMP and anyone associated with him will e part of their search. This is serious shit."
"I want you to photograph exactly where each of those items are in the office. Because I'm coming back -- and they are going back up on the wall where they belong."
(removed) Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, Second in command, Canadian Armed Forces

"I have compelling, sobering and frightening information."
"Do you have anything to say for  yourself?"
Chief of Defence Staff Jon Vance

"This is an important matter that is obviously under investigation, and will likely end up before the courts, so I won't make any further comments at this time."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"The emails in question are by no means smoking guns."
"At its highest, it appears that the potential allegation against Vice-Admiral Norman is that he was trying to keep a contractual relationship together so that the country might get itself a badly needed supply ship."
Ontario Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips

"To claim that Mark Norman is the only one with such [protected Cabinet meeting] information is ridiculous."
"He appears to me to be the designated fall guy."
Liberal Senator Colin Kenny

"It's all part of the Ottawa political game. Information is leaked by the government of the day in a controlled method to journalists."
"No investigations are launched because it's all sanctioned by the government."
(retired) Naval Captain Kevin Carle

Asterix on Maiden Voyage from Quebec City to Halifax 25/12/2017 (CNW Group/Davie Shipbuilding)

Canada has been in dire operational functioning need of naval supply ships. The two that had been in use were scheduled to be decommissioned; neither was in any condition to be in continued use, both were aged, rusting wrecks. The government of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper had agreed on an interim measure other than embarrassingly leasing supply ships from Chile and Spain. Canada would sign an agreement to provide a temporary solution to lease a supply ship from a private firm and proposals were received from a number of Canadian shipbuilding enterprises.

In 2015 it was announced that the winning proposal was from the Davie Shipbuilding enterprise in Levis, Quebec, a proposal that appealed to the Conservative-led government since the shipyard was located in the riding of Conservative cabinet minister Steven Blaney. The project, valued at $670-million was set to proceed, as a commercial container ship called the Asterix owned by a Greek shipping concern, sailing under a Liberian flag was to be bought by Davie and converted into a supply ship using the navy's specifications.

In August of 2015 the-then defence minister, Jason Kenny, signed a letter of intent with Davie, and Vice-Admiral Mark Norman whose bailiwick this was, began a correspondence with Spencer Fraser, a former Royal Canadian Navy officer who was at that time head of Federal Fleet, the affiliate of Davie overseeing Project Resolve. In early October of 2015 Davie received the Asterix, just as the country was in the throes of a federal election, and the ship conversion had not yet been approved.

In mid-October a Liberal majority was elected, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau determined to overturn everything that his predecessor Stephen Harper, had done.

James Irving of Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax wrote to the new Liberal Cabinet ministers; Harjit Sajjan at Defence, Bill Morneau as Finance Minister, along with two Members of Parliament from Atlantic Canada, Procurement Minister Judy Foote and Treasury Board President Scott Brison. Irving protested that the previous government had undertaken a sole-source agreement with Davie, leaving his company's competing proposal unevaluated.

James Cudmore, a CBC journalist at the time, heard rumours of the Irving letter form a government insider, and wrote about the issue, including that Irving had denied any involvement. The publicity, however, embarrassed the government in its crass decision to withdraw the former government's arrangement to decide for Irving to fill in the gap. The CBC published a Cudmore article revealing that a cabinet committee had decided Project Resolve would be delayed and reported that Irving had meddled in the decision.

Davie responded by warning Quebec premier Philippe Couillard that the shipbuilder would be forced, with the cancellation, to lay off shipyard workers, at which point Premier Couillard became involved, approaching Justin Trudeau with his concerns. Trudeau, reeling under the interference by Couillard soon found he was being questioned by journalists about the potential Davie layoffs resulting from his government's decision. Furious, the Liberal government called in the RCMP to investigate a leak.

Whatever leak took place informing Cudmore and enabling him to gain a scoop for the CBC revealing information that should have been known only to cabinet ministers plotting to overturn the previous government's arrangement would no longer come from that journalist. He was taken out of the picture by an offer of employment as a senior adviser to  Defence Minister Sajjan. And the RCMP went on its search for a leaker of confidential data.

A working theory reached by RCMP Corp. Matthieu Boulanger involved the premise that Vice-Admiral Norman had set out to manipulate events to ensure that the navy would get its supply vessel, interfering in the political decision to set aside the agreement. Norman engaged in a nefarious plot "to influence decision-makers within government to adopt his preferred outcome" to provide the Asterix supply ship for the Royal Canadian Navy.  He was soon unceremoniously removed from his position as second in command to the Chief of the Defense Staff.

He was dismissed from duty, his office cleared of all his papers. His home was raided by RCMP who removed all official documentation, along with personal items, a year ago. Seven police officers spent six hours at the home of Vice-Admiral Norman removing DND files along with Norman family personal effects; family and vacation photographs, medical records and other items. A short while later Vice-Admiral Norman met with his superior, Jon Vance, Chief of Defence Staff, and was summarily dismissed.

There was no hearing, no opportunity for Norman to defend himself from a decision based on unproven claims. Vance ordered a blackout on all information about Norman. Trudeau declined to provide any details to the news media, but did declare that he and his government were in full support of the defence chief in a decision that saw the country's second-highest-ranking military officer removed from office with no word of explanation.

Police subsequently interviewed over 30 individuals including Davie staff, people at the Department of National Defence, at Public Services and Procurement Canada, along with a number of federal cabinet ministers. Nine search warrants were obtained to examine Norman's home, cellphones and computers, and Davie's offices and lobbyists. Some among Ottawa's military circles believe the government is making an example of Vice-Admiral Norman.

They anticipate that his legal bills will mount as his state of limbo where he has not been charged with anything, but is removed from office still receiving his salary, stretches indefinitely. The feeling is that his family will experience enough financial stress forcing the Vice-Admiral to resign. Despite which, Norman seems to have no intention of resigning. He is determined to see matters through. No charges, no trial, no public hearing.

He waits to be exonerated of implied charges, at which time he plans to resume his naval command. He may have to wait until Justin Trudeau is removed from office.

Labels: Government of Canada, Politics of Convenience, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

posted by Pieface @ Saturday, January 13, 2018