Roy Whyte on Canadian and World Politics

Well another election has been called for all the wrong reasons. Seems Harper likes rules for everyone else but not those that apply to his party as well. So much for fixed election dates.

For all those writing me asking if I will be the Green candidate in Surrey North - no I will not be. I live in Abbotsford now, and I will not be running here as well. A fine candidate has been selected for the Abbotsford riding and I'm sure she will do just fine.

Canada and the United States have throughout their collective histories together, as almost always-peaceful neighbours towards one-another, had some form of a free trade agreement. While the terms and adherence to these agreements has ebbed and flowed over the decades, it was almost always beneficial to both nations. With the final signing of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in 1989, things began to change for Canada. Equal and fair trade between the nations began to come apart, and it culminated in the one-sided North American Free Trade Agreement that came into force in 1994. What was meant to be the world's premier trading bloc between Canada, America and Mexico turned into an investment deal that has since seen Canadian industry and sovereignty gutted and sold off to the highest bidder. These trade deals which were sold to Canadians as good deals for Canada and Canadian industry, have turned out to be anything but.

By the early 1980's trade between Canada and the United States had become the largest bi-lateral trading relationship in the world. There were problems of course with protectionist measures and what both sides deemed to be unfair duties placed on their exports, or undue subsidies on domestic industries, but on the whole trade between the nations was growing year over year. Since then, public myth has claimed that it was Canada that wanted to initiate a ground breaking trade deal with the Americans, and that the American side was reluctant to take part. Years later it came to light that U.S. Ambassador Thomas Niles had been working behind the scenes to ferment a bug in Canadian ears that we could have a deal that would allow Canadians free access to American markets.

It was in this climate of half-truths, that Canadian sovereignty, industry and culture would be protected, that the inclusion into the trade deal of "National Standing" was introduced, all without mention by the Canadian Conservative government of Brian Mulroney. National Standing or investor state rights essentially allow U.S. investors the exact same rights as Canadian citizens under the law. After the glitzy signing ceremonies and media crowning of the deal as a great day for Canada and Canadian industry, a U.S. trade representative Clayton Yeutter muttered, "We've signed a stunning new trade pact with Canada. The Canadians don't even know what they have signed. In twenty years they will be sucked into the U.S. economy."

By now you surely have heard of the latest incident with the Blackwater security company in Iraq and their killings of innocent Iraqis. Blackwater maintains they were responding to an attack on their convoy, while the Iraqis are saying they opened fire without cause.

But it gets more interesting when you see, "In an ideal sense, if there was wrongdoing, there could be a trial brought in the Iraqi court system. But that would imply that there is a valid Iraqi court system where Westerners could get a fair trial. That is not the case right now.” That’s a quote from today’s Washington Times from Blackwater CEO Erik Prince. So we are to believe that the same court system, which America entrusted to try, convict and execute Saddam Hussein, is not good enough to try Americans? Seems like a double standard does it not?

Saddam was declared enemy number one of the United States, and the US government found the Iraqi court system sufficient to try him, so why not American citizens? Erik Prince is saying that his people will not be turned over to the Iraqi justice system.

The only real surprise from Ontario’s provincial election would have to be the Liberals actually gaining a larger majority. But that is a bit moot as they were set to win a majority anyways. The real stories from this election were the record low turnout, the Green Party growth and the failure of the referendum to muster in MMP.

With only 52.6 per cent of eligible voters bothering to cast a ballot we see more real protest than the perceived (silly pundits) protest vote that accounts for the Green surge. People don’t care; they have tuned out and have given up. MMP would have gone a long way to correcting that, but as could have been foreshadowed; it took the same turn it did in BC.

The referendum in Ontario and its failure nearly echoes that of BC’s failed electoral reform measure. From the ruling party feigning support while undermining the effort, to elections officials being so ambiguous people didn’t know what they were voting for. I can remember when I was door-to-door canvassing as a candidate and asking people to vote yes in the referendum many would reply, “what referendum”, or “the one on same sex marriage?” Clearly in Ontario as in BC, the people went to the polls not knowing what they were to be deciding on. If they don’t know, they will vote no. It’s only human, and sadly part of the charade called electoral reform in Canada.

When Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to North America to speak to the U.N., an entire circus was made of the event. With the war drums beating away within certain circles in the U.S. government and media, Ahmadinejad’s visit could not have come at a better time.

I watched his speech on CNN and was amazed not only at the overly aggressive and rude introductory remarks by Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, but by the obvious bias and bile of the two CNN reporters - instant flashback to the weeks before the Iraq war. If these two are any indication, as the war on Iran draws nearer, the U.S. media will once again roll over and fail to question the "official line".

It’s also become clear that the model for Ahmadinejad and his nation is one we should hate, fear and eventually bomb. Yet, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a man without power, and a man with declining levels of support inside the Iranian establishment and amongst the voters. I mentioned this in a previous article a few weeks back when reformer Ayatollah Rafsanjani was elected to a powerful position – one with more power than that held by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad does himself no favours as he makes an easy and justified target with his holocaust denial/revision and blundering foreign policy statements.

The past three months has seen a dramatic rise in the calls for action against Iran by the highest levels of the U.S. government, and some in the corporate dominated print and television media. The underlying message is always regime change.

It seems there is no event in the Middle East that isn't seemingly being traced back to the Iranian government - or so we are to believe. That notwithstanding, while the calls from outside Iran for regime change by the way of violence swells, the people of Iran are taking matters into their own hands.

Today Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president of Iran has managed to win enough support to now challenge the supreme ruler of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's system of government has its own system of checks and balances, and what we are seeing is the more moderate forces in Iran asserting their numbers in their own democratic way. Notice that there was no use of violence to achieve what could now be the removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the assembly that Rafsanjani now heads.

Russia's 15th century styled land grab in the Arctic through their planting of a Russian flag under the North Pole has awakened some semblance of Canadian nationalism among many Canadians. Realizing that with global warming quickly opening up the northern regions, nations like Russia are making moves to cement their claims over this potentially energy rich region.

It was a campaign promise by the Conservatives to champion Canadian claims over the North, yet with over a year and half gone by, little beyond grand announcements have actually been undertaken. Now they have little choice but to speed up their moves in this arena.

On one hand it's great that Stephen Harper's Conservative government is enforcing Canada's claim to the Northwest Passage and parts of the high arctic, but on the other his government is busy giving Canada away to the Americans through the Security and Prosperity Partnership. This North American Union is nothing more than a wholesale giveaway of everything Canadian starting with our sovereignty through the loss of our inherent democratic right to choose what we want for ourselves as Canadians. Instead we will get American laws on everything from the environment and trade to having to share their military adventures around the world.

UN figures, which will be released in September, are purported to show that the rate of poppy production in Afghanistan has risen another 15 per cent over last year. This boom in production makes Afghanistan by far the largest supplier of heroin in the world, controlling almost 95 per cent of total production.

This does present both problems and potential solutions. With the heroin production so concentrated into one location, a proper program could help wipe out nearly all of the heroin trade. Problem is, it's not that easy. In Afghanistan where Canadian soldiers are fighting and dying in their struggle against the Taliban and their supporters, the poppy trade is an integral part of society. With the trade of Afghan poppies adding up to some $38 billion dollars each year, it's obvious that more than the Taliban is involved in the trade.

Hi and welcome to my website. For those that know me already, you are familiar with my background in politics and my activities with the Green Party of Canada and BC. For those that don't well now you do - at least in part.

This website is meant to serve as a platform for political discussion on Canadian and world topics from the environment to war and everything in between. I encourage you to participate and leave feedback and challenge what I write. No matter our political affiliations, all voices must be heard and considered.