At last Canada is showing sparks of the old fire that burned during the time of Pierre-Elliott Trudeau the late father of the current Prime Minister.
In the latest case of Rahaf al-Qunun, the Saudi girl who broke away from her family while in Thailand, the Australian authorities who were first contacted for asylum dithered and Canada smartly stepped in before her family could grab her and take her back to Saudi Arabia. In the case of another woman activist now imprisoned for her long struggle for women’s rights to drive even though the law there has now been changed, it was Canada, specifically the University of British Columbia who sowed the seeds of human rights struggle in Loujain al-Hathloul’s being. While Justin Trudeau the prime minister may be inexperienced, his Trade Minister Crystia Freeland is tough as walnuts and frequently stands up and even challenges Donald Trump. Besides Freeland, there are a multitude of bureaucrats who will stick by Canadian values despite economic consequences. Hurrah Canada even with your lack of clout in the world economy, you are a beacon of light in human rights and compassion although you have a long way to go in the decent treatment of your own native people. Roland. Toronto
