Categories: Need to know

'An attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada'

Tory cabinet member says Canada is prepared to take a hard line with Tehran

by macleans.ca on Monday, February 15, 2010 5:01pm - 136 Comments

In a little-publicized interview with Shalom Life, Peter Kent, the Conservative minister of state for foreign affairs of the Americas, suggested Canada was prepared to take a hard line with Iran over the continued threat its nuclear program poses to Israel. “Prime Minister Harper has made it quite clear for some time now,” he said, “and has regularly stated that an attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada.” In the meantime, Kent said Ottawa would be pursuing efforts to impose ever-more stringent sanctions on Tehran. “We have had some sanctions for some time on equipment and materials related to the making of nuclear weapons,” Kent told the Toronto-based news site, “but it may soon be time to intensify the sanctions and to broaden those sanctions into other areas, such as economic areas which we hope would discourage Iran from its current course.” However, should diplomatic efforts prove ineffective in containing the Iranian threat, Kent said Canada wouldn’t rule out a military strike: “[It] is the last possible option but that remains in the broad range of options and unfortunate possibilities”

Shalom Life

Tags: Canada

http://intensedebate.com/people/AJR79 AJR79

If there are nazi types in this country, then you see one when you look in the mirror.

kcm

i'm as critical of Israel as the next person…but the phrase judeo-nazism is an abomination! Have you no shame?

http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

Trolls rarely do.

Brian

"So, Kent and Harper assert that Canada, a non-nuclear weapons state, will come to the defense of one nuclear state (Israel) if attacked by an aspiring nuclear state (Iran)?"

Well put.

I might add that if the government really stands by this view, Kent should do the honest thing and propose putting Israel in NATO, and see what happens to his government's poll numbers. Hell, I'm uncomfortable with Canada being pledged to the defence of Slovakia, let alone Israel.

American aid proponents careless fostered a Western blank-check sensibility in Georgia, which convinced them they'd have help if they attacked a Russian-protected zone in South Ossetia. Look how well that worked out for them.
http://www.stareagleproductions.com delford t louis

…as a human who enjoys the quiet of peace, threatening other nations is stretching it a bit…there are other diplomatic ways to make strong statements , shucks every comic pokes fun at canadas' arsenal and military might and strength,now we have alleged sex killers within the military(all of which is in our daily media reports! words are not mine)….gawd what a wonderful country! and the hate the people spew at anything first nations or aboriginal of which names are thoroughly race based and condescending….it is disgusting
BJB

What happened to Canada as "honest broker"? We once had a foreign policy guided by constructive dialogue and reconciliation to help resolve conflicts. Hard-nosed ideology, my-way-or-the-highway, seems to have replaced rationale discourse — both internationally and domestically. These bellicose Harper Conservatives put peace, order and good government in serious danger.
ToryMan

Just more U.N. style dithering. Chamberlain all over again.

"We'll huff and we'll puff
And we'll blow your house down"

There will be no action by any Western country until an Iranian-made tactical nuke goes off in our backyard.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

Thank you. In that case, I believe we can let your readers judge your credibility as a student of history. Your last sentence is about the same as someone saying that Catholicism is about the same as cannibalism because they both begin with the letter C.
Bright Minds

News just came in ……..just check this…..

fake British Passports used by Israeli Mossad to kill in Dubai.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middl…

And CANADA wants to protect such a dirty country and its filthy minded people who believe in assassination, killing, genocide, bulldozing houses, dropping phosphorous bombs, terrible human rights record in occupied Palestine.

Israelis have used fake Canadain passports too in the past to kill.

Kent and Harper, get your minds straight. You guys need brain surgery.
JWB

I guess after reading most of the comments here in this section its easy to see why most people see Canadians as nice little ninnies who are unable to stand on our own for what is right.
I am not a fan of Isreal but the government of Iran is a lot scarier. Most Canadians somehow believe that waving two fingers and chanting peace in the streets will solve the worlds problems. Tell you what, if you are so sure of your beliefs then Canada will buy you tickets to Iran and you can run around breaking windows and mailboxes chanting peace with two fingers in the air. Then you can have a real heart to heart with that brilliant man Ahmadinejad and tell him that peace and love will prevail. After that Canada will fly you to North Korea where I am sure you will be welcomed as the two fingered Canadians who saved the world with a hug.
http://intensedebate.com/people/G0D God

I guess were bombing the west bank next time they send a rocket into northern israel? That would be interesting.
Craig O

What disturbs me here is that this comes across not as an indication of support in the case of clear aggression by Iran, but rather unconditional support if Israel is ever attacked, regardless of reason or preceding events. Threats by Iran's leadership are certainly troubling, but virtually everyone recognizes that Iran is just posturing to shore up support in it's own country – any real aggression would be met with swift retaliation and the Iranian leadership knows that.

Canada has always been cautious about engaging in wars on behalf of our allies. Just as in Vietnam or Iraq, if our allies don't have a good reason to be at war, we shouldn't go. If Israel is engaged in war because of unreasonable aggression from other states, sure, we should support them. But, if Israel does something stupid or morally unjustified that precipitates war on its soil, at a sheer minimum, our support should not be guaranteed. I'm not saying we shouldn't ultimately assist them if that was the case, but by providing that guarantee, we risk encouraging those stupid and morally unjustified actions that could lead to such a war.
David

Meanwhile, Israel sits on over 200 nuclear warheads with advanced missiles capable of delivering them anywhere in the region and far beyond. (Israel also threatened to use its nuclear weapons during the 1973 war unless the US replaced the weaponry destroyed by Egypt in the Sinai, i.e., nuclear blackmail. Nixon complied with a massive air lift.) Israel also refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and will not permit inspections at its Dimona nuclear site. Consequences: the US continues to give Israel nearly $10 million in unconditional aid each and every day, 365 days a year. HYPROCRISY BEYOND WORDS!!
Rob

Boy!, if this gets any hotter we might have to tow one of our Subs over there and start making threats!….Ha Ha!…LOL!!!!!!!!!
Manny

Wow, thank you Mrs Kent and Harper. Once again, you have shown that you are true friends of Israel. Why then do most Canadian Jews still vote Liberal?
John

Let's play to our strength. We have considerably more influence international as diplomats and peace keepers than we could ever muster militarily. Up until the conservative occupation of Canada, we were internationally regarded and the people's interests were well reflected in our foreign policy. Now, we are on a different path: taking ourselves out of the diplomatic game, and being a cheerleader at the game of military posturing.

Get Harper out of gov't before he does to us, what Bush did to the US.
http://intensedebate.com/people/prescott prescott

Harper has made it quite clear for some time now,” he said, “and has regularly stated that an attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada.”
____________________

Not on your life, harper. You do not represent the majority of Canadians. Hearing the Israeli minister on the DOHA debates saying that Canada's prime minister was the best friend Israel had made me ill. WE ARE A NATION USED TO PLAYING PEACE-BROKER – we do NOT take sides. Harper can don a yarmalke and move to Israel with the rest of the east coast Americans who seem to dominate the politics of the United State of Israel. He's no Canadian.