[monsoonjournal.com]”Canada is a global leader in working for human rights and peace in the world” is what 57% of the worldwide respondents felt according to recent survey by Angus Reid Strategies for The Maclean’s Magazine. The survey of 20 countries and their views on Canada and the world reveals what the world loves about Canada; besides being a global leader, quality of life (31 percent), geography/environment (30 per cent) and social services/good system of government (10 per cent) are also among highly regarded aspects about Canada by respondents from around the world.
However, it’s pointed out from members of our communities within Canada, that the country could do more with regards to the situation in Sri Lanka from its position as a global leader. A hopeful beacon for them should be seeing many prominent Canadians increasingly voicing their concern on the prevailing conditions in Sri Lanka in the past few days.
Its’ the people who make up a “Nation” and Canadians of many strides form the crucial role in working towards the goal of putting Canada in a global leadership role on Human Rights.
Ensuring Canada’s position as global leader on Human Rights rests with every Canadian serving the humanity.
The Monsoon Journal salutes all Canadians on the forefront of this mission.
Highly respected humanitarian missions of Canadians around the globe, impacts how Canadian political leadership conducts the nation’s foreign policy in the long run.
The headline news of the past few days is former Canadian UN Ambassador and Federal Justice Minister Hon. Allan Rock, as UN Advisor putting the Government of Sri Lanka on the dock for the first time in the international public eye for violating the rights of children. Rock’s revelations are catching the attention of opinion makers in Canada and around the globe.
Allan Rock was appointed recently as special adviser on Sri Lanka to Radhika Coomaraswamy, the special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the role of children in armed conflict. Rock undertook a 10 day field trip to Sri Lanka from November 6 to 14.
“It is a feeling of fear and insecurity…. of grave concern,” Rock said, adding, “institutions of society to protect (civilians) have deteriorated or diminished”, said Allan Rock, of the plight of people in Vaaharai in Eastern Sri Lanka. In a press briefing in Colombo after concluding his 10 day fact finding trip, Mr. Rock urged the “eyes of the world” to see what is happening and improve the human rights conditions of the people in Eastern Sri Lanka.
Many other prominent Canadians too are on the path of influencing Canadian and world opinion - in shedding light on the plight of the people in the island, particularly of Tamils in North & East.
Canadian Parliamentarians, Albina Guarnieri, P.C., M.P., Member of Parliament, Mississauga East Cooksville, Dan McTeague, P.C., M.P. for Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge, and Omar Alghabra, Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Mississauga— Erindale recently wrote letters to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and issued press releases condemning the killings in Sri Lanka.
Carleen McGuinty daughter of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is serving the humanity at grassroots level, and witnessing the events in Sri Lanka.
Liberal leadership contender Bob Rae visited Sri Lanka to advise on Federalism. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin and several other Federal MPs and politicians too are among those who traveled to Sri Lanka on humanitarian missions in the recent past.
There are many more Canadians as staffers and volunteers in Non Governmental Organizations in Sri Lanka and around the world serving the humanity for the betterment of the lives of those people.
The findings of Allan Rock and his press briefing in Colombo accusing the Government of Sri Lanka in the involvement of recruitment of child soldiers is a pinnacle showing how missions of dedicated Canadians can make a difference in the world; a key factor in the deteriorating Sri Lankan situation was subdued by various propaganda mechanisms for the past few years by the Government of Sri Lanka. This was over come by Mr. Allan Rock, Special Adviser to the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict on Sri Lanka. The UN envoy’s findings are now being attacked as part of a “wider conspiracy against Sri Lanka”, by sections of the Sri Lankan government and their extremist sympathizers.
Making a difference for a change, leading a change for the betterment in the lives of the masses in desperate need of assistance is what Canada is acclaimed for around the world, according to the recent Angus Reid Strategies poll.
Missions by UN Advisor Allan Rock are a testament to what is being and can be achieved by Canadians as individuals as well as in their respective official capacities – also making Canada a global leader along the way, and making all Canadians proud of Canada.