JOHN FELDSTED – Our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, is a thoroughly committed globalist

It is frightening to realize that our Prime Minister is a thoroughly committed globalist. He has no patience for the laws, rites and processes of democracy exercised in a constitutional monarchy. He does not realize that our Constitution is Canada’s version of the Magna Carta, the foundation of governance by democratically elected representatives in an accountable, open parliament.

In the midst of high economic and social uncertainty, our Prime Minister finds time to pump for a seat on the UN Security Council.

Trudeau, world leaders issue calls for global unity at UN event on coronavirus recovery (05-28-2020)
By Mike Blanchfield & Joan Bryden ~~ The Canadian Press /Global News

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led a united call for global co-operation at a major United Nations meeting Thursday aimed at mitigating the devastating social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tacitly endorsed Canada’s ability to convene larger groups of countries to serve the greater international good — a key plank in Canada’s platform for a temporary seat on the Security Council.

The COVID-19 conference came as Canada is competing for one of two non-permanent seats on the Security Council next month against Norway and Ireland.

Canada is running on a platform of trying to help rebuild the post-pandemic world, and Trudeau said Thursday’s video conference of more than 50 heads of state and government was an example.

Trudeau said the conference was the result of ongoing work with his conference co-host, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“Canada has a long tradition of convening, of gathering people together to deal with larger issues and this is certainly a role we hope to play on the UN Security Council,” Trudeau said.

“We demonstrated (that) today on an issue we’ve been working on over the past five years in terms of development, financing and improving economic flows to countries in need. This is something that we can gather critical masses of consensus around the world.”

********************************

Trudeau is mistaken. Canada has no “long tradition of gathering people to deal with larger issues”. We lack the gravitas to warrant that kind of attention from other G-20 leaders.

“Sock boy” has drawn raised eyebrows from his peers which is not the image of a United Nations “fixer”.

We can rest assured that other nations are watching how Canada responds to the COVID-19 crisis. We will need to produce a stellar economic recovery for other nations to allow us to take a lead and we see no signs of a coherent and rational recovery plan.

We are awash is silly slogans. We are not “in this together”. There are not “unprecedented times”. We do not have “coronavirus crisis”. This is not the first virus epidemic to infect Canada. The “crisis” is how we reacted to the virus, not the virus itself. The virus did not hand us a note telling us to quarantine healthy people. Our politicians made that decision.

The economic impact was enormous. We instantly had thousands of people and businesses with debts and obligations but no income. Only governments could convince us that this virus was so deadly that it had to lock us all up to avoid bodies piling up in the streets. They did and in so doing created an economic crisis.

We have a right to expect our government and our Prime Minister to focus on Canada’s problems until our economy is fully recovered. Calls for global unity are banal. There is no global unity on any issue; last December climate change unity collapsed. The coronavirus ‘crisis’ has further eroded cooperation between nations. No nation expects or even wants Canada to come to its aid or lead the way.

**********************************

In early December 2019 Canada sent 144 delegates to the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) held in Madrid, Spain that year. Object of the conference was to ratify a system of penalties (fines) for nations that failed to meet UN climate change targets. Industrialized nation balked and refused to ratify. The largest emitter, China is not part of the UN climate group. The US has withdrawn. There is no viable group of nations supporting climate change.

Climate conferences are overrun with third world nation seeking a handout, squadrons of non-government agencies also seeking operating funds and green technology investors hoping to cash in on government green initiatives.

Although figures are not complete as yet, Canada’s costs for participating in the December UN gab fest in Madrid is over $683,278. That is not pocket change. The conference fell apart. Nothing was resolved.

********************************

I do not quarrel with Trudeau’s ambition to build a better world. He is entitled to his ambitions, but not when they conflict with his sworn duties as Prime Minister. He was elected as a representative of Canadian people to guide the democratic governance of Canada.

I do object to financing his personal global ambitions. He should resign and allow someone capable of dealing with governing Canada and addressing our problems while he pursues his dream of an international role with vigor. The Aga Khan and other influential friends can help find him a place within the UN.


John Feldsted ... is a political commentator, consultant, and strategist.  He makes his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba