My stereotype-ingrained-pigeonholed opinion about Canada being a quiet, relaxed, unassuming, uncontroversial, agreeable…and plain boring country has been blown out the water by those sneaky conniving Canuck types and their Machiavellian political plotting. YAY!
“So what they gone done, Otto?” I hear you cry. Well, remember back to this photo-op on November 21st?
That Harper dude stood next to Alvaro Uribe of Colombia and watched the lackeys sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries. Old Alvaro was pleased as punch, of course, and called upon the USA to get on and sign their own FTA with his country and stop moaning and whining about petty things like gov’t sponsored paramilitary death squads, phone tappings, kidnappings, extrajudical murders carried out with the approval of ministers…y’know, trifles like that.
But then on April 28th Canada’s parliament debated and decided on a few other things. Then yesterday via a press conference in Colombia, Canada delivered a very, but VERY large portion of egg to the face of Uribe when it emerged via a pro-Uribe senator that “a few extra details” must be taken into consideration before the FTA could be ratified. Including:
- A joint body to study environmental impact in Colombia (big deal)
- Compliance with labour laws (natch)
- More work done to combat crime (dunno how they’ll measure that one)
- A study of the number of people made homeless by the ongoing civil conflict (oh…now we’re getting warmed up)
- The government of President Alvaro Uribe must demonstrate a friendlier and more constructive relationship with Human Rights organizations in the country. ZING!!!!!!!!!
And now Canada says “Dude…you don’t get your FTA if you don’t STFU”…wonderful. What a bunch of subversive bastards you are, frosties. Ah loves you all.