-Caveat Lector- Canada Dissenters Fault Kosovo Move By DAVID CRARY .c The Associated Press TORONTO (AP) -- While Canadian leaders unwaveringly defend Canada's role in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, a vocal chorus of dissenters says the nation's legacy as a pioneer in international peacekeeping is being betrayed. The anti-war movement staged its first news conference Tuesday, featuring a member of the Canadian Senate, a prominent historian and a maverick politician known for his opposition to free trade with the United States. ``Our country is violating its most profound traditions,'' said Michael Bliss, history professor at the University of Toronto. ``We're now in the hands of military men who have a vested interest in escalating the conflict.'' So far, there have been no nationwide polls to gauge public support for Canada's engagement in the bombing campaign. But most of the major media have been depicting the handful of Canadian airmen in the war zone as heroes, and leaders of the four main opposition parties have backed the government's decisions. The Kosovo conflict has produced a dramatic shift in Canada's foreign policy, which for many years has emphasized the country's abilities as a mediator and peacekeeper. Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy successfully led a campaign last year for Canada to win a seat on the U.N. Security Council, yet Canada now finds itself engaged in a war that lacks Security Council authorization. Douglas Roche, an independent member of Canada's Senate, noted that Axworthy had wanted a Security Council seat so Canada could prod the big powers into a greater preoccupation with human security. ``We have abandoned that noble and realistic goal ... by joining in an aggressive military action,'' Roche said. ``To bomb for peace -- this is the greatest oxymoron of the 20th century.'' David Orchard, a farmer and free trade foe from the opposition Progressive Conservative Party, said Canada should reconsider its membership in NATO. ``After years of pious bleating by Canadian governments about war crimes ... we are committing one of vastly larger proportions,'' Orchard said. There has been no formal debate or vote in Parliament about Canada's role in the bombing, although a debate is expected in the House of Commons on Monday. The Liberal Party government has not indicated whether it would allow a vote on its policy. Prime Minister Jean Chretien's office said Tuesday he would cut short his trip to Latin America this week in order to be back in Ottawa for the parliamentary debate. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
