Jeffrey Simpson And I Agree... (To A Point)
Spend time around Canadian parliamentarians, and one characteristic becomes immediately apparent. Too many of them have little or no international experience. Further exposure to the world is something to be welcomed and encouraged, rather than categorized as junketeering.
He's bang on in this analysis. Saying "So-and-So is wasting taxpayers' money by flying to Bora-Bora or Timbucktu!" might play well in Gladstone, Pipestone or even Charleswood, however demonizing travel does not serve the country as well as people may think it does.
Simpson can't completely help himself though, so I disagree with this particular section:
Simpson can't completely help himself though, so I disagree with this particular section:
And it shows. By playing domestic politics and letting moralistic nostrums drive decisions, Canada has irritated key countries such as China and Turkey, and disappointed others such as Japan.
Not sure what Simpson is referencing with the Japan mention, however unlike the Globe & Mail writer, I have no problem with a foreign policy that acknowledges the Armenian Genocide (Turkey) and calls out China on human rights violations such as organ harvesting from fulan gong participants . (Not the least to mention, the abundance of Chinese spies in Canada.)
That being stated, Simpson still makes valid points. The cost of MP travel is minuscule compared to the overall budget and getting Canadian out in the world is often just as important as bringing the world to Canada - if not more so.
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