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03/27/2003 Archived Entry: "Sorry buddy, we don't want to go to war with you"
I'm glad that Chretien decided not to join the Anglo-American war against Iraq (as if you couldn't tell by reading all my other posts). But, I wish the Canadian Alliance, the Tories, Brian Muldloony, Ernie Eves, Ralph Klein, and the American Ambassador would just shut up about it anyway. We're not going to war. Most of the Canadian population doesn't agree with the war. It's illegal. It sets a very dangerous precedence of preemption. It's without the backing of the UN. Diplomatic channels and options for multilateral action were not exhausted before bombing began. The war is wrong.
It doesn't matter how often you say that it strains Canada-US relations. The US does whatever it feels is in it's interests. Right now, cross-border trading with Canadians is in it's interests - when it's not (softwood lumber etc.) then the US puts up barriers and makes trouble. Besides, it doesn't matter how many times you threaten that it could have dire consequenses for cross-border trading and the Canadian economy. It's wrong.
I think Canadians are fairly prinicpled. If they don't see a good reason to go to war, and they think the war is wrong, they won't participate.
Thomas Walkom has a good column in The Star today about the whole Cellucci (the US ambassador) fiasco. He talks about the idiocy of whole "the US is always protecting Canada and now we're turning our backs on them" argument.