Harper to go to Cyprus

[gerryhatrick]

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will go to Cyprus, where Canadian evacuees from Lebanon will be shipped this week, his office said Wednesday. The prime minister's plane will then bring as many as 120 of them back to Canada. Harper has spent the last week travelling in Britain, Russia and France on official duties.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/200...evacuation.html

Correction. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, two image handlers, and his personal photographer, will go to Cyprus.....

Why not kick those guys out in Paris to free up even more seats??

[Shakeyhands]

I'll add this, if any of these people being evacuated hold valid airline tickets that cannot be used, the Airline companies should be ponying up the money to the various governments that are evacuating their citizens.

[jdobbin]

From what the media has reported less than 10% are holidayers. The rest are permanent residents of Lebanon. In other words, they came to Canada, made enough money to live nicely on back "home" and returned to Lebanon. Yes, they have a passport, but while they're legally Canadian citizens they're not really Canadians.

I have not heard any figure like that. You'd have to point it out to me.

And even if it was so, no prime minister can ignore Canadian citizens and hope that it will not be an issue in Canada. Show me a western nation that can. You seem to think that if Canadians can't get out of Lebanon, it is their problem. However, it has always been the policy of the Canadian government to assist in removing Canadians from harm's way.

You just keep putting up qualifiers as to why these people who want to get out are not real Canadians and are not in any danger. Is your option to do nothing when other countries are removing their own citizens?

[Charles Anthony]

And even if it was so, no prime minister can ignore Canadian citizens and hope that it will not be an issue in Canada. Show me a western nation that can.

Is it just to score political points? or should it be an obligation like "health care" or "education" or "child-care" happen to be?

You seem to think that if Canadians can't get out of Lebanon, it is their problem. However, it has always been the policy of the Canadian government to assist in removing Canadians from harm's way.

Do you believe that should be government policy? If so, what is the limit?

Is your option to do nothing when other countries are removing their own citizens?

Forget about what other countries are doing. What is the limit for Canada?

Two Canadians got murdered vacationing in Mexico. Who is defending Canadians abroad?

I slipped and fell on the ice last winter HERE IN CANADA. Who is saving me?

If we make it an obligation to save Canadians abroad, there is no limit. De facto, somebody will not be satisfied.

[August1991]

I hope he doesn't wind up hanging around Cyprus but apparently he's already got that figured out:

...Harper said the first of those vessels began shipping Canadians out of Beirut on Wednesday and was expected to arrive in Cyprus that night.

Apparently, he didn't have it figured out. Harper clearly doesn't understand the Middle East:

In an interview with The Canadian Press, the prime minister concluded his longest foreign tour - and his most serious predicament - with a frank observation. "One of the biggest surprises I've had in this job has been the degree to which foreign policy has really taken a lot of my time," he said as he prepared to board his plane for the return flight home.

Canoe

I think he spent about 20 hours waiting in Larnaca.

Take a look at this pic.

Been there, done that.

[jdobbin]

Is it just to score political points? or should it be an obligation like "health care" or "education" or "child-care" happen to be?

Do you believe that should be government policy? If so, what is the limit?

Forget about what other countries are doing. What is the limit for Canada?

Two Canadians got murdered vacationing in Mexico. Who is defending Canadians abroad?

I slipped and fell on the ice last winter HERE IN CANADA. Who is saving me?

If we make it an obligation to save Canadians abroad, there is no limit. De facto, somebody will not be satisfied.

Since the PMO told the Canadian embassy to hold off on an advising Canadians to come home pronto last week, the government bares a huge bit of responsibility in removing Canada from harm's way. That was posted in the Globe and Mail yesterday. CJOB News was reporting that the Defence has Canada's responsibilties outlined in event of war. It is enlightening as it doesn't talk about any limits.

http://cjob.com/news/index.aspx?dir=nation..../n0720103A.xml

It is a little unseemly to talk about who real Canadians are and what the costs of bringing them home should be when it was not even discussed in the Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations plan.

The Conservatives were adamant critics of Canada's reponse to the tsunami last year. They called Canada's mobilization efforts then as too little, too late.

It would appear that the PMO withheld critical data to have Canadians heading home on their own coin. They should take responsibility for that.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

No matter which way you look at it, if you hold a Canadian passport and are at danger in a foreign state the government has a responsibility. Get the people out first, then worry about the cost.

[jdobbin]

No matter which way you look at it, if you hold a Canadian passport and are at danger in a foreign state the government has a responsibility. Get the people out first, then worry about the cost.

Exactly. And if you can warn them early enough, they can get home themselves and stay out of harm's way.

[MightyAC]

No matter which way you look at it, if you hold a Canadian passport and are at danger in a foreign state the government has a responsibility. Get the people out first, then worry about the cost.

Exactly. And if you can warn them early enough, they can get home themselves and stay out of harm's way.

I agree to both points. We should foot the bill to resuce anyone with a Canadian passport now stranded in Lebanon, whether they are a dual citizen or not. Now it's time to kibosh dual citizenry in Canada....but that's the topic of another board.

[Shakeyhands]

This is pretty disgusting i think you all would agree.... too bad the paper didn't name this person.

Evacuee Liliane El-Helou said she had complained about the organization of the evacuation in Beirut to Harper on the plane.

“One of his people ... said to me ‘This is a Liberal-appointed ambassador,’” she told reporters.

This whole plan to denegrate the Liberals at every turn WILL back fire horribly, don't you agree?

[Jerry J. Fortin]

If this statement was true, then I will suggest that he was simply ducking. Keep in mind that everything a leader of a nation does is political and with that knowledge you can see that he was just taking the steps that can be expected.

If it is true, then he is guilty of a faux pas.

[MightyAC]

IMO, Harper should have avoided the whole issue and let Foreign Affairs handle it. However, he decided to take a political risk in an attempt for headlines and probably to give the impression that he is at the helm in times of crisis. I wonder if McKay is upset by the headline grabbing/intrusion/micro managing or if he's happy that Harper is the face of this issue and not him...