Politicizing Misery

I guess the goodwill had to wear off at some point. For weeks now, as the opposition critic for international cooperation, I have been peppered with media questions about CIDA's performance in Haiti. I've refused to rise to the bait, following a longstanding tradition of political cooperation in times of crisis. The CIDA minister has struggled against massive odds to provide assistance in a world of complexity, misery and corruption. The minister herself has provided me with regular updates, keeping me in the loop as to the massive effort required. There will surely come a time, as in all things political, when the Harper government's response to that devastated nation will come under historical review, but not right now. Especially not right now. It behooves the other parties to cooperate the best they can when it's a matter of life and death. In this spirit, the respective critics for defence, diplomacy and development from all parties, instead of criticizing, have spent their days assisting with fundraisers to help the Haitians and working on long-term policy for its future.That spirit was broken today, with a few brief sentences from the Prime Minister as he visited Haiti itself. As the Globe and Mail stated, he couldn't resist "taking a swipe at the Liberals" during one of his speeches. Boasting of the capacity of the massive C-17 Globemaster aircraft to bring in supplies, he alluded to another time when Liberal governments pursued "soft power" and didn't fund such airplanes. The media picked up on the jab right away, as did a couple of friends of mine based in London, who had spent tours of duty in Haiti over the last decade. They're not Liberal or Conservative; they're military, and they feel they've just been dissed.Canada's investment in Haiti goes back to 1963, when the government of the day moved in quickly to defend Canadian citizens trapped on the island in the face of political tensions.That was soft power. In 1993, under a Liberal government, Canada was part of a multinational force that was called to Haiti after then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown. Canada along with the U.S, Argentina, France and the Netherlands sent warships to enforce an embargo on Haiti's oil, arms and foreign funds. That was hard power, and Stephen Harper knows it.Why did the Prime Minister suddenly get in his political punches at his opposition during what has been a quiet consent of support from those parties during a pivotal time? I couldn't begin to guess, but I will venture that it was wrong and defied history. What's wrong with soft power anyway? My military friends believe they did admirable work during those years Harper says were deficient. And they've got a powerful ally in Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk. Only a few weeks ago he reminded reporters that Canadian forces had been on the island for years and that many of them spoke Creole, learned during the supposed "soft power" days, which made them indispensable assets in managing aid delivery. He went on to say , "a lot of our officers and NCOs have experience in Haiti from previous tours, and I think Canadians should be proud of the fact that they have soldiers, sailors, airmen and women who are trained in a whole spectrum, of operations and requirements."If only the Prime Minister had that kind of historical knowledge and nuance. In a few brief comments, Natynczyk supported all his troops, past and present, and refused to wade in the political and ideological divide that seems to so empower the PM at present. It's commendable that Canada has the capacity to fly in huge quantities of supplies, but it's less than diplomatic or fair to turn this reality into a political slam. Under an onslaught of despair, the Haitians need Canadian help, not Conservative or Liberal, and they hardly deserve a foreign head of state politically capitalizing on their misery. God help us ... and especially them.