A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper
In all of the hate politics Harper and his Conservatives are fermenting in this federal election to gin up their base, it may do us well to remember that we have had leaders in this country who spoke for bringing people together in a spirit of building a better future.
One of Canada’s great prime minister and one of the world’s great peacekeepers, Lester Pearson.
If you doubt what I am saying, read this –
“Whether we can live together in confidence and cohesions with more faith and pride in ourselves and less self-doubt: strong in the conviction that the destiny of Canada is to unite, not divide, sharing in co-operation, not in separation or in conflict; respecting our past and welcoming our future.”
Those words were spoken back in 1966 by then Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson who was also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize back in the days when Canada was also more of a peacekeeper in the world than a warrior.
I was drawn to them by an American public activist Ralph Nader, who used it in the introduction he wrote for a new book we should all read called ‘Canada After Harper.’
In that introduction, Nader who, during his boyhood, spent his summers with relatives in Canada and got to know our country better than many of his fellow citizens, said he fears that many of the things that made Canada a world leader in health care, environmental protection, peacekeeping and other areas that spoke away are being fed through a shredder by Harper and company.
This coming October 19th, those of us who haven’t voted already in this Thanksgiving weekend’s advanced polls, have the opportunity to take what is good about Canada back.
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Niagara At Large 
Truly, a great Prime Minister. However, those were different times. It was possible and even quite fashionable to be “peace keepers” as there was peace to be kept. Nowadays, there’s nothing but warfare, so if you don’t involve soldiers, you stay out. It’s especially futile when you can’t distinguish between friend and foe. Yes, the times have changed, and now we have a new way of doing things. We bring all people in and deal with the turmoil at home, by our own volition.
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There appears to be some revisionism here.
It is a matter of historical record that the great “humanitarian” Liberal Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Mackenzie King turned the good ship St. Louis away with 907 Jewish fugitives in May 1939, to the words “None is too many”.
After being refused refuge, the ship returned to Europe where the refugees were scattered in Great Britain, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Many of the passengers who were not in Britain were ultimately rounded up and sent to concentration camps.
There are many Canadians and their families who remember, and chose not to confer sainthood on the Liberal Party just yet.
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