Oh, Canada...

[motordavid]

I admit I am not very objective on many topics/issues; I like Canada as a country, its people, its "areas", and its "not quite the US, but better in some respects" feeling. I travelled to many areas of Canada, over the course of 30 years, for my work, and we have vacationed/taken m'cycle trips in many provinces, for decades. It is my 2nd or 3rd Fave country on the planet.

And, I am no fan of that 3rd World Supper Club, aka the UN, that expensive, self-serving, ineffectual group planted on the East River, that has actually accomplished less than the Moonies, or the Haley's Comet nut group did, imo.

So, sorry to read that the GWN/CDA did not get elected to the UN Security Council, but cheers to CDA for them pissing off some/most of the idiots that voted no on their being seated.

From today's WSJ Op-Ed page:

Bravo, Canada

A U.N. snub is a badge of honor.


Life must be very good in Canada, or at least dull, judging by the domestic reaction to its failed bid last week for a temporary seat on the U.N. Security Council. Listen to the yowls in the papers north of the border: "A nation reeling," "humiliating defeat," "a rebuke from the global community," "tarnishes our reputation," "a slap in the face."

We say: Way to go. Canada seems to have annoyed a sufficient number of Third World dictators and liberally pious Westerners to come up short in a secret General Assembly ballot. The sins committed by Stephen Harper's Conservative government include staunch support for Israel, skepticism about cap-and-trade global warming schemes, and long-standing commitment to the Afghan war. Americans would be so lucky to get a leader as steadfast on those issues as the Canadian Prime Minister.

The United Arab Emirates took credit for putting together a group of anti-Canadian Arab and Islamic states to stop the bid for the two-year rotating chair. The UAE also has a beef with Ottawa over landing rights for Emirates Airlines going into Canada.

The U.S. role here is also embarrassing—to the U.S. Richard Grenell, a former senior official at the U.S. Mission to the U.N., reported last week that America's U.N. ambassador, Susan Rice, refused to campaign on Canada's behalf. Mr. Harper's politics are not hers, and Liberal opposition leader and Obama political soulmate, Michael Ignatieff, declared last month that Canada under Mr. Harper didn't deserve to get one of the 10 temporary seats.

The farcical nature of all this was made clear when the Canadians lost to Portugal, which—with all due respect to the memory of Vasco da Gama—is no global titan. This small and economically hobbled Iberian country will now hold one of two temporary spots reserved for Western bloc states. Germany was assured the other.

Canada, on the other hand, is a serious country. Under Mr. Harper's leadership, Canada has avoided the worst of the global recession and emerged with a vibrant banking system and strong currency (now trading near parity to the U.S. dollar). The courage of its soldiers in Afghanistan, and in other missions, is testament to a nation that honors its commitments. Canadians should wear the U.N. snub as a badge of honor.

Review & Outlook: Bravo, Canada - WSJ.com

[JCL]

Interesting Op-Ed piece, MD, thanks for posting.

I admit I like the idea of the UN. I agree it isn't as effective as it should be, but having an organization focused on global cooperation is better than not having one, IMO.

That said, I can't get too excited about Canada not getting a seat on the UN security council. It's politics, and if a lot of small nations have a vote, eventually they are going to get together and try and flex their muscle.

I read many articles about the recent UN decision here in Canada, all expressing outrage, how it is a slap in the face. Yawn. I don't like everything Harper does, but things aren't so bad. We dodged the worst of the economic collapse, our banks stayed solid, real estate didn't crash as it did elsewhere, and we have good signs of life in some sectors of the economy. Further, we came through that with a minority government (Harper's Conservatives) that has to work harder to get their agenda passed (maybe that is a good thing). I think that Ignatieff is opportunistic, and no help at all. At least him being there as leader will mean the Liberals won't be back in for a while, as they won't be able to overcome the drag he puts on the party.

Since you like Canada so much, you need to come up and visit sometime. There are great roads through the Rockies to Vancouver, and we have a wine region in the Okanagan we could show you.

[Fraser]

The world certainly needs a body like the UN. What it doesn't need is the UN it currently has. The decision to award Portugal a temporary seat on the security council is a joke given that it struggles to get its own house in order.

PS: Unfortunately I've only been to Canada once. I was on a motorbike. Nice roads, great people but I've never been so cold in my life!

[rayxi]

I think Jeff summed it up with the word "Yawn". The "outrage" in Canada was mostly in the media and perhaps with the gang hanging out on the left with Ignatieff. But then, those people are always outraged about something.

The UN is a dysfunctional family. They spend more time and effort trying to divy up the pot than adding to it.