Time Traveller

He arrived in town more like a shape-shifter than the most eminent diplomat in the world. Given the particular brutalities and preoccupations of Ottawa these days, he seemed more like a visitor from another planet.Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, is so nice that you tend to overlook the cutting-edge mind lurking behind his South Korean polite demeanour. Yet here he was, seated in an intimate setting with Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae and I, probing and prodding, looking for Canada to recapture its legacy. He gratefully acknowledged Ignatieff's insightful work on the UN's "Responsibility To Protect" protocol, and also Rae's efforts in assisting the UN in various peace initiatives. But he played no favourites, refusing to enter the domain of cut-and-thrust Canadian politics.  In a phrase, he was a diplomat with a punch.We talked over numerous items of concern and action. At one point he faced me directly, stating that the act of assisting the poorest women in the world is a venture worthy of the best Canadian resolve. I almost wanted to hug him.Then suddenly he ventured into terrain that seemed part of our recent past, using words like "Kyoto" and "Copenhagen." He adroitly reminded us that the plight of the world's poorest is directly linked to the deterioration of the planet and urged us to use the upcoming G20 meetings in Canada in June to press for compliance with the Kyoto standards. He might as well have been blowing smoke; that horse fled the barn years ago, and this country's deplorable showing at the recent Copenhagen summit put a rather myopic end to the dream that Canada could one day lead the world in environmental stewardship.And yet here was this rather diminutive figure, dropping into a hotbed of political rancour and reminding every person he met that we are future-impaired. The fate of the world is moving in two opposite directions. As hopeful signs are quickly emerging in our struggle against poverty, we are journeying in the other direction in our denial of the impending environmental catastrophe that might well reverse the advancements made in our collective bid to assist the word's poorest.Ki-moon and Ignatieff were a well-matched pair, probing one another for ideas and concepts on the future of diplomacy. They clearly spoke the same language and shared some significant accomplishments in international advancements of thought. It was refreshing to observe.Until we walked out the door and moved quickly down the stairs for Question Period. The Liberal leader entered the arena of the absurd with the thrill of some of Ki-moon's thoughts and challenges still racing through his mind. He was immediately pounced upon by the Conservative side in a manner that put an abrupt end to any form of higher thought. The hecklers attempted what they always do - crush any moment of refinement or progressive debate.Yet through the rest of QP, government members keep looking up in the special guest section of the observation gallery. There, seated directly above my head not 10 feet away, sat the Time Traveller. Like a peace envoy observing the stupidity of war, his face remained placid while his emotions surely raged. Witnessing a bunch of men and women capable of greater things, he must have wondered whatever became of Lester Pearson's legacy and this country's dynamic and steadfast role in the creation and advancement of the UN itself. Then suddenly he was gone, to another place and another challenge - the thoughts of what he had just witnessed clouding his sense of hope. For a brief moment we were visited by a diplomatic spectre who reminded us of our potential, only to lose him to some other place in hopes it will fill Canada's vacant post. The greatness of our past was lost in political paralysis of our present. It's probably good he moved on.