Conservative MP Wrong on China
According to CBC, Helena Guergis wants the government to end its aid programme to China. This is not a terribly good idea.
Although I disagree with them, I do have some time for people who argue for stopping all foreign aid, but I just don't see the point on picking on China. It's politically harmful and internationally silly.
The Chinese community in Canada is very much in touch with their home country. In fact, majority of GTA's Chinese weeklies are, at least partially, controlled by the PRC. So one should be careful about pissing them off over something so minute as foreign aid. You can't reach out to the community if you are pissing off their major media sources. (A lesson that Conservatives need to learn with MSM as well.)
As a policy point, China is not the worse regime in the world that we send money to. (Think: most of the Arab countries and SWAZILAND!!!!) I am all for taking on the PRC on its human rights record (like Jason Kenney did when he was over there.) The best way for Canadian MP's and Ministers to help the Chinese people is by going to China, where the sub-media (through blogs and other things) can report on them, and demanding answers to their questions about China's human rights record.
posted by Watch at 1:06 PM
3 Comments:
Canadian MPs can do what you say and cut the foreign aid budget at the same time. The money only goes to fund the Chinese military and space program. No one preparing to send people into space deserves our money.
1:35 AM
I think people who are preparing to send people to space deserve our money more than people who use it to build harems and marry a dozeen 16 year olds (like they do in Swaziland.)
If Helena was arguing from first principle that we should not help evil regimes, then I would have more time for her argument.
2:56 AM
An interesting point. But surely a country that's sending people into space needs our trade more than our foreign aid?
2:09 AM
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