Canada Missed Out On The Invasion Of Iraq? Would Canada’s Harper Government Make Sure We Joined In Any Invasion Of Iran?

By Mark Taliano

The terror bombing and invasion of Iraq by the U.S and the U.K was and is, according to International Criminal Court criterion, a war crime. Neither country has to worry about prosecution though, since they are not within the court’s jurisdiction.  However, many would argue that it is a shame that the ICC doesn’t have more “teeth.

 The US/UK foreign policy barbarity has so far destroyed and partitioned Iraq, and it continues to exact a stupendous toll on innocent civilians.  At last count, there have been from 111,309 to 121,640 documented civilian deaths from violence in Iraq since the 2003 invasion began.

 These statistics do not include estimates from critics that 1,000,000 (including 500,000 children), died as a result of the United Nations imposed sanctions campaign that preceded the Second Gulf War.  (Former U.S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright infamously commented that it was “worth it”.)

What else has been accomplished?

Iraq’s oil industry has been de-nationalized, and the country is “open for business” for petroleum companies.  Tell that to the survivors.  I doubt that they will be consoled.

Next on the list is Iran, which is already feeling the weight of sanctions.

Based upon Harper’s previously expressed hope that Canada join the coalition to attack Iraq, and his seemingly unmitigated support for Israel, it is likely that the Harper government will choose to join the aggressors, should there be an invasion. 

The Harper government will create an Orwellian “Memory Hole” to induce Canadians to forget the US/UK Iraq catastrophe, and the same story will unfold.

There will be unsubstantiated allegations of Weapons of Mass Destruction, (to which only the aggressors will have access), a campaign of media messaging will induce Canadians to hate Iran and its people, disaster will ensue, and the Iranian oil fields will be de-nationalized.

UN condemnations, as with the case of Iraq, will be ignored. Same story, different victims.

Before diplomatic sanctions were imposed, the Iranian parliament invited Canadian activist Ken Stone to attend a conference on Palestine.  

Later, in an opinion piece entitled, “Harper is wrong in demonizing Iran”, Ken noted that Iran hasn’t attacked any country in over 200 years, and that, as a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is instead seeking to create a nuclear free Middle East. 

He notes that Israel is not a member of the treaty, and it is thought to have 300 nuclear weapons and the capacity to deliver them. 

The U.S, for its part, abandoned treaty obligations to participate in talks with other nuclear powers for complete nuclear disarmament, so it is in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Additionally, he underscores that the U.S has thousands of nuclear weapons, as well as numerous military bases, all within easy reach of Iran.

Ken’s opinion piece did not go unnoticed by CSIS, Canada’s spy agency, and on January 25, two CSIS agents visited his house.  Ken felt justifiably intimidated, so he asked them to leave. 

The CSIS people, explains Ken, are likely gathering intelligence on those whom they deem to be a present or future threat to Canada’s “national security” (and given Harper’s disdain for Aboriginals and environmentalists, the list must be long), possibly as a prelude to creating a database, similar to the Profunc database of the Cold War era, that featured Tommy Douglas and other notables.

Instead of accepting divergent views, the Harper government continues to create division and conflict to aid and abet his agenda, and CSIS, which is now bereft of civilian oversight, is becoming the government’s willing accomplice, its “Thought Police”.

Growing fear and distrust continues to infiltrate the fabric of Harper’s Canada, as per design, and the country’s now blemished reputation continues to attract negative attention in the United Nations, and throughout the world.

Meanwhile, alternate views, such as those of Ken Stone, are important, not only to provide the Canadian public with a more balanced view of the world, but also to ensure that government policies are based on sound evidence rather than ideological partisanship. 

Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are important adjuncts to meaningful democracy.

Mark Taliano is a resident of Niagara, Ontario and a regular contributor of news and commentary to Niagara At Large.

(Niagara At Large encourages all visitors to this site to share their views on this post or any other posts NAL has posted. Divergent views are most welcome in the spirit of NAL’s goal to operate as a virtual town hall for discussing and debating issues of interest and concern to our communities and countries across the greater Niagara region and beyond.)