Statement on genocide case was deliberately confusing, depriving Canadians of the truth
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has advanced from insulting a large number of Canadians to treating the whole nation with contempt.
Last week, Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly colluded on a statement outlining Canada’s position on South Africa launching a genocide claim against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The statement was not outright false, but it was very far from being straightforward. The wording of the statement showed that Joly and Trudeau, who has pledged “to be honest, open and sincere,” were being deceptive, disingenuous and acting in a manner designed to hoodwink the public.
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The true nature of Canada’s position on the ICJ case was revealed, not by politicians, but by a tweet from CBC reporter Evan Dyer who got his information from bureaucrats.
Canadians who want answers must now look to civil servants because the Trudeau government has shown itself incapable of providing truthful and forthright responses to the major issues of the day.
Last week, after days of prevaricating, Joly released a statement on the ICJ case by stating, “Canada’s unwavering support for international law and the ICJ does not mean we accept the premise of the case brought by South Africa.”
Trudeau parroted that exact line in a press conference earlier Friday. “Our wholehearted support of the ICJ and its processes does not mean that we support the premise of the case brought forward by South Africa.”
Clearly, this line had been given intensive thought and deliberation. It’s vagueness — especially the “does not mean” phrase — was carefully designed to give the impression that Canada rejected South Africa’s case while leaving open the possibility that the opposite was true.
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And so with politicians speaking out of both sides of their mouths, it was left to Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the department Joly is in charge of, for full disclosure.
“Canada will abide by all rulings in the South African case against Israel at the ICJ, both provisional injunctions in the short-term, and a final determination on the allegation of genocide,” said GAC, according to Dyer’s tweet.
(An email to GAC seeking confirmation of its statement had not received a reply as of late Monday afternoon.)
So there we have it. Canada may not support the premise of the case against Israel but — and this is the “but” that Canadians needed and deserved to know — the Trudeau government stands full-square behind the ICJ if they find Israel guilty of genocide.
There will be those who argue that as a member of the United Nations Canada is bound by the rulings of the ICJ. Even if true, Trudeau and Joly should have told Canadians that and not leave the public with the opposite impression.
And even if Canada is bound by the decision, it does not stop the Trudeau government from expressing its own views. The U.K said South Africa’s case was “completely unjustified and wrong.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it “meritless.”
Canadians, meanwhile, are left to parse the ambiguous statements of politicians in an effort to determine where we stand.
In Roman mythology, the Sibyl clouded her prophecies in obscurity, making the truth difficult to divine. The Sibyl now appears to be Trudeau and Joly’s chief advisor in crafting policy statements.
With a divided Liberal caucus, Trudeau has decided that his political priorities lie in trying to appease both sides with less than truthful statements that are open to a variety of interpretations.
If this means that Canadians are deprived of truth, sincerity, and clear policy, than so be it. For Trudeau and Joly, the party comes first, the politics come second and the truth be damned.
This contempt for the electorate is merely an evolution for Trudeau who in the past has slammed some Canadians for being “racists and misogynists” and others for being part of a “fringe minority.”
It is only thanks to the openness of bureaucrats that Canadians can learn the true foreign policy direction of the Trudeau government. Maybe we should add ineptness to the Liberal list of sins.
Foreign policy has never been Trudeau’s forte. Even before becoming prime minister, he was stepping into the effluent by praising China’s “basic dictatorship.”
“Having a dictatorship where you can do whatever you wanted, that I find quite interesting,” he tellingly revealed.
On the world stage, Trudeau has been a disaster for Canada. It’s not just the decisions that have caused suffering, such as betraying our Afghan allies or leaving the Two Michaels to languish in prison, but his embarrassing performances: think singing Bohemian Rhapsody days before the Queen’s funeral or his bizarre Bollywood fashion sense on a trip to India.
But the Liberal statement on the ICJ wasn’t just another item on a list of foreign policy gaffes. It was a deliberate attempt to fool Canadians and appease a divided caucus.
Trudeau and Joly may lack the intellectual capacity — or the moral fibre — needed to make the necessary arguments to reject South Africa’s claim, but their failure to be “honest, open and sincere” with Canadians is a sign of contempt and is itself contemptible.
National Post
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