Friday, July 21, 2006

CALL FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE

While Jack Layton and Bill Graham, among others, have made useful statements critical of the one-side position adopted by the Harper government in the Middle East crisis, much more needs to be done, and quickly.

A human catastrophe is in the making in Lebanon. Defenceless people are being massacred and driven from their shattered homes. A country, painfully rebuilt in the aftermath of its civil war, is having its infrastructure smashed, and its water and electric power systems, pulverized. In addition to the plight of the people of Lebanon, there is our special responsibility---to safeguard the tens of thousands of Canadians who remain in that country. Unless the fighting is halted, more Canadians, including some who are cut off from any way to reach an evacuation port, are bound to be among the future victims.

In his militarist posturing, Stephen Harper has utterly forgotten that the number one task of the Canadian government internationally is to ensure the safety of Canadians. Never in the history of our country have so many Canadians been exposed to merciless aerial bombardment. With thousands of Canadians directly in the line of fire, Ottawa needs to lend its weight to those in the world who are insisting on a ceasefire.

Members and supporters of the three opposition parties who hold a majority of seats in parliament should demand that their parties call on Ottawa to lead the fight in the United Nations for an immediate ceasefire---a ceasefire that would end the bombing of Lebanon and the rocket attacks on Israeli towns and cities. New Democrats, Liberals and Bloquistes should call for parliament to be convened at once to debate the Middle East crisis and the plight of Canadians in Lebanon. Stephen Harper does not have a majority and should not be allowed to act as though he does.

In particular, the candidates for the leadership of the Liberal Party need to speak plainly and forcefully now. If they claim to offer the country an alternative, progressive leadership, let them show the quality of that leadership when it counts.

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