Foreign Tales

Two big embarrassments for Canada this week from overseas. We all know of the first - Copenhagen, and the trainwreck that is sure to come from this country's position on climate change. The saddest part of it all is that we're not surprised anymore. We've failed consistently for two decades to effectively fight what will be our greatest challenge, but the the bloom is now off the rose. Canada, that great international country, is now battered from the criticisms of other countries who are taking the spot that should rightfully have been hours.There was a second international blunder this week that has largely gone unnoticed. Not from Denmark, but actually from Israel, we heard of another cabinet minister who has embarrassed his own country from a foreign pulpit. Speaking at the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Israel this week, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, speaking in front of what I guess he thought was the home crowd, proudly declared that "we have defunded organizations like KAIROS, who have taken a leadership in the boycott divestment and sanctions campaign." He was attempting to refer to individuals and groups that have called for sanctions against companies trading with Israel because of that country's detainment of certain Palestinian refugees.The only problem was that he didn't tell the truth about KAIROS, and in fact demeaned a pivotal Canadian organization that for 35 years has partnered with the Canadian government to assist people in need in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. It was only a few days ago that KAIROS was informed by CIDA that it's $7 million dollars in funding was being terminated because it "didn't fit CIDA's priorities." No one has come forward from CIDA to provide a rationale for this cut, but for some strange reason Jason Kenney of Immigration did .. and in Israel, to boot.It was an unfortunate incident, not only lacking in statesmanship but in fact. KAIROS's work is ironically in line with present Canadian policy on the Middle East. KAIROS has called for full recognition of Israel's right to live in peace and security, and has also called for a separate Palestinian state working with the international community for achieving peace in the region. They have criticized both sides of recent conflicts whenever the security of individuals has been compromised. Well, that comes right out of the Conservative playbook.But there's more. The Harper government never took kindly to it whenever KAIROS spoke out against some of the actions of Israel against Palestinians. Where Canada once welcomed opinions from all sides, the present government has opted to control the debate, essentially rewarding one side while punishing the other - like KAIROS.Just to be clear. KAIROS doesn't advocate for sanctions, divestment or boycotting against Israel - a reality that stands in direct contradiction to what Minister Kenney just stated. The organization is composed of the larger faith institutions in this country. Though an individual congregation might very well take action against what they perceive as injustice in the Middle East, they do not form the voice of KAIROS itself. The minister just plain got it wrong, but in his rush to judgment he made two essential mistakes: he embarrassed Canada on the world stage from afar, and he maligned a credible Canadian agency by promoting misinformation.Look, things are bad enough right now. Having one black eye was difficult; two is a downright embarrassment. Canadians across the country are now rallying over the Conservative deceptions concerning Copenhagen and KAIROS. The first attempted to fool us by pretending there was a "Made in Canada" solution for what was in fact an international dilemma. The second made the mistake of trumpeting an illusion on the international stage about something whose problem and solution is only to be found in Canada.  It's been a bleak week, with the casualties being the environment and humanitarianism. We could have done better and all people of faith should express their outrage.