Prime Minister Stephen Harper's foreign policy strategy is a joke and is causing Canada to be hated around the world, British politician George Galloway said Monday.
The notorious member of parliament, known for his outspoken views against the Iraq war, said Harper's actions at the APEC summit in Hanoi show he lacks diplomacy skills and doesn't understand Canada's place in the world.
Harper had a difficult time arranging a meeting with the Chinese president, which many experts said was a snub for the government's continued criticism of China's foreign policy.
"The idea of Canada threatening China is absurd," Galloway said at an event sponsored by the Syrian Canadian Club. "The whole point of politics is to talk to each other, even if you hate each other."
Galloway, who used to be a Labour MP, is now a member of the left-wing RESPECT, the Unity Coalition. He is wrapping up a four-day tour of Canada, which included stops in Toronto and Montreal, where he is spreading the message about his opposition to Canada's role in Afghanistan and its relationship with Israel.
Galloway also weighed in on Canada's Liberal leadership contest, saying that "Anyone but Ignatieff" is a common slogan in British politics.
I would agree Harpers forgein policy is a joke, he has no diplomacy skills.
He sounds like a bit of a "renegade" but that does not mean his comments have no value.
I'm sure China was just shaking in their boots at Harper's stance.
:roll:
As to the British MP... he reminds me a bit of Garth Turner. Someone that's not afraid to tell it like it is, call Harper out for being a worthless waste of skin.
On a related note, how fucking pathetic was it that while Harper was preaching free speech and human rights, he was also refusing to address the Canadian press.
Canada has sent its ambassador to the Koreas, Marius Grinius, to Pyongyang to increase the pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.
Harper was also asked about his accessibility at the APEC conference.
It was the Korean government that told Canadian reporters about the visit of a Canadian diplomat to North Korea.
And the news of his discussion with the Chinese president came by e-mail to reporters travelling with him 14 hours after the fact. It was the Chinese foreign ministry official who gave the Canadian media the first substantive description of the meeting.
Harper's staff also blocked Canadian journalists from attending all but the first of Harper's public activities, even while foreign media were present or invited.
