Stephen Taylor

As has been noted around the blogosphere, the media seems to be climbing all over itself to frame the evacuation of Lebanese-Canadians from Lebanon as too “slow” and as a “disaster”.

Where was the flotilla of ships awaiting immediate rescue and extraction from Lebanon, critics asked. The same critics who rush to condemn Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper are the same brave critics that question why Canada would ever need to start spending on military equipment.

“Why does Canada need a military”, asks one babbler.

This question came in response to Stephen Harper’s desperately needed $15 billion infusion into the military, recently earmarking the funds for 3 new multifunction support ships, and helicopters among other vehicles.

Stephen Harper has recently taken over the reins of government from 13 years of Liberal mismanagement and neglect.

A 2003 Queen’s University study titled “Canada Without Armed Forces?” investigated the effect of Liberal neglect and under-funding of our military and relief efforts world-wide. The study postulated a complete Canadian disarmament by 2013.

Just about 6 short months ago to this day, Canadians selected to change the way things are done in Ottawa. Stephen Harper has a modest number of impressive accomplishments as Prime Minister so far. However, he has not undone those 13 years of Liberal neglect to Canada’s ability to react to disaster on the other side of the world.

Other reasons for delay in the rescue effort include logisitics. As other countries act to evacuate their citizens from Lebanon, a bottleneck of ships has been reported as another significant reason for delay.

Jack Layton, leader of the NDP, Canada’s left-wing party with an isolationist foreign policy, described his party’s recent efforts:

“With an estimated fifty-thousand Canadians in Lebanon, the NDP called for an evacuation plan on Friday and has been disappointed with the pace of the response.”

More funding for the military, Jack? What’s your plan? Canada needs a leader ready to do the right thing; a leader who concerns himself with more than canoe expeditions. Further, Canada needs a military to defend its sovereignty and to evacuate Canadians from hot-spots that develop around the world as a result of platitudes and appeasement.

Stephen Harper’s trip to Cyprus also represents much more than symbolism. How dire has our military/humanitarian relief network become when the Prime Minister’s plane in Paris considered a viable element of a humanitarian relief effort. While Stephen Harper can’t snap his fingers and equip our country overnight, his flying to Cyprus to personally help represents that he’ll do everything he can with what he’s got.

It seems that every time this guy goes overseas, his hero-factor goes up.

Poor Mr. Harper…

Our current PM is on track to reverse the trend of our nation’s international obscurity caused by the previous Liberal governments. However, as indicated by Forbes magazine, he may still have a bit more work to do.

Click to enlarge

First it was “Steve”, and now this!

This evening, Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a speech to the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce at the Jumeirah Carlton Hotel in London, England.

Here’s some of the speech:

Much of what Canada is today we can trace to our origins as a colony of the British Empire. Now I know it’s unfashionable to refer to colonialism in anything other than negative terms. And certainly, no part of the world is unscarred by the excesses of empires. But in the Canadian context, the actions of the British Empire were largely benign and occasionally brilliant. The magnanimous provisions of the Quebec Act of 1774 ensured the survival of the French language and culture in Canada – to the everlasting benefit of our country. And the treaties negotiated with the Aboriginal inhabitants of our country, while far from perfect, were some of the fairest and most generous of the period. This genius for governance shown by the mother country at the time no doubt explains in part why Canada’s path to independence was so long, patient and peaceful. And it explains why your Queen is still our Queen, and why our “bond of comradeship” remains as sturdy today as it was in Mr. Churchill’s time.

That bond, ladies and gentlemen, was forged in bad times as well as good. Sometimes in the flames of war. When Britain has bled, Canada has bled. A generation of our young men share eternity with British Tommies in the fields of France. Another generation of Britons and Canadians fought side by side against Nazi fascism. Yet another helped our American cousins prevail over the menace of Soviet communism. And ever since that brief, illusory moment when we thought we were witness to “the end of history,” we have been allied in a new global conflict.

This is a conflict without borders. A conflict fought abroad and at home. A conflict in which the aggressor stands for nothing yet seeks to impose its will.

Through the destruction of terrorism. Through the slaughter of the innocent. And through the perversion of a faith.

So once more we face, as Churchill put it, “gangs of bandits who seek to darken the light of the world.” And once more we must appeal to our values, marshal our resources and steadfastly apply our will to defeat them.

Nicely put. This sure stirs pride in the good that our country stands for.

One of my friends traveling with the Prime Minister this week sent me a picture of Mr. Harper arriving at the Jumeirah Carlton Hotel tonight to give the speech.

Stephen Harper arrives in London to address the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce. Click to enlarge