tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8069306913773098033.post7846417263747148664..comments2023-09-24T06:19:42.114-06:00Comments on Vision of Canada: A Blog About Canada's Place In the World: Please Prove Me WrongJane Harris Zsovan (Jane Harris)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12076301737580482355noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8069306913773098033.post-57242359871953889512010-01-21T10:42:44.374-07:002010-01-21T10:42:44.374-07:00You are suggesting on your own blog that Canada tu...You are suggesting on your own blog that Canada turn Haiti into a protectorate. Not only is that abhorrent and colonial, it is not realistic. <br /><br />Canada is not considered an important international player by either the British or Americans. (That may change after the U.K. elections, though. Let's hope so. It will not change in the U.S. no matter which party is in power.)<br /><br />Not that that is necessarily a bad thing for Canadians. It allow our aid workers and personnel to aid countries -- and those countries to be assured that we do not have some political agenda for being ther.<br /><br />Haiti needs aid workers, more than soldiers. This whole thing has become an issue of chest thumping by several countries, including Canada and the U.S. (Jokes on Canadians who think this will give us some kind of political clout in the Americas. Nobody cares what Canada contributes excpet the people we help. We are B listers in the diplomatic world.) <br /><br />Taxpayers should not pay for ineffective military interventions to boost prestige of any nation, including Canada.<br /><br />If our ships cannot be found and our workers are invisible, then we must consider that perhaps military intervention is not the way to go at all. <br /><br />Perhaps providing funds to non-profits is the more effective course -- for Canadian taxpayers and the Haitian people. <br /><br />All this talk of protectorates and neo-colonisim & Canada's international image through military intervention is quite frankly repulsive. It's also delusional.Jane Harris Zsovan (Jane Harris)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12076301737580482355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8069306913773098033.post-8538952022842088252010-01-20T23:09:49.420-07:002010-01-20T23:09:49.420-07:00First point. The American contingent is 10x the s...First point. The American contingent is 10x the size of the Canadian one 10,000 verses 1,000 so there is a small size issue.<br /><br />Second because of that you will have bias of the Americans due to them being so much in the area and concerns about how this much force projects on a nation they once took over for a brief period last century. <br /><br />Second, Canadians are mostly interested in the Canadian effort while the other countries cover their own efforts, or the US effort. There has been little coverage of any other country other than France who has been complaining.<br /><br />The DART team for example is a grand total of 200 specialized forces. They are not going to create a big footprint. Nor be as obvious as the US.<br /><br />Most of the Canadian ships based in Halifax took a week, with loading and shipping to reach the area. Not surprising considering the distance. The US forces are based in Florida and North Carolina so they have much less distance to travel thus are able to arrive quickly.<br /><br />If you read the <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5izqXsDq8-6rXEXjzcgj6Gvku5Biw" rel="nofollow">CP</a> <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j5LinYdCGcPl2bncTLpSv0GktBhg" rel="nofollow">articles</a> it appears that Canadian has been given portions which are smaller but no less in need. <br /><br />Even when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina" rel="nofollow">Katrina</a> hit and when the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarian_response_to_the_2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake" rel="nofollow">Tsunami</a> hit there was no quick fix. It takes time to mount proper efforts, the logistics involved are massive especially when you have a country that is completely pancaked and had not much to begin with.<br /><br />No one else has really be able to do much more until this week. So I think it is a bit quick to level blame and cry out about how ineffective the CF has been so far. <br /><br />To many people want something DONE NOW in this information age. The world is too big and too complex for that to happen.<br /><br />The aid is getting in, Canadians will make a difference and time will tell how much. But calling it a failure before anyone is really ready to go seems slightly premature. <br /><br />Looking at the BBC article it is does not say Canadians are not there or there in fact it says nothing at all. So what? Like I said they are focused more on the lead efforts by the Americans and the Canadian effort is only just beginning to take effect. As it is for all parties.<br /><br />So do not give in to pessimism so quickly. It is sad that as a failed State (in political terms) Haiti could do nothing to help itself or even to make things easier for those giving aid. So starting from scratch these agencies are forging ahead. It will take years to fix this mess. We are only just starting.Jonathan Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08953775812431003918noreply@blogger.com