At this past weekend's Liberal Think Fest, Robert Fowler - a former Canadian Ambassador to the UN - lashed out at the Government for not sharing his vision of the world. Such arrogance.
Indeed, from my long time in Canada's Civil Service - his arrogance is consistent with those who spend time in the Foreign Affairs Department. Only the Immigration Department can rival DFAIT in this regard and it comes in at a poor second.
Fowler, you will recall, was recently held hostage by the Al Qaeda in Africa and it was the same Tory Government, he criticizes, that saved his sorry hide. Some gratitude.
Fowler was also the Deputy Minister when Canadian Forces Clayton Matchee and Kyle Brown tortured to death a young Somali, by the name of Shidane Arone, in 1992. There was definitely a cover-up and it was starting to unravel when the then Liberal Government shut down the Somali Inquiry established earlier to ferret out the facts. This has to rank as the most blatant interference on the part of a Canadian Government in living memory. And yet, there were probably more complaints earlier this year about Harper's prorogation of Parliament than there were complaints about the cancellation of the Inquiry in 1993.
Fowler was the Deputy Minister of Defence when the killing took place and the Inquiry Report concluded that the scandal stemmed from a distinct lack of leadership on the part of the Senior Officials at Defence. You don't get much more senior than the Deputy Minister.
Of note, Fowler was one of the next witnesses to be called when Chretien disbanded the Inquiry.
Flash ahead to 2010 and we find a new revitalized Fowler quick to give his comments when some 16 years earlier - when it counted - he was no where to be seen.
One particular comment from Fowler that I found particularly galling was his assertion Canada is too supportive of Israel. He suggested that this was caused by a blatant attempt by our politicians to woo the Jewish Vote when in actual fact their are more Muslims living in Canada than there are Jews.
And this despite the fact that none of the world's Terrorists are Jewish and the only truly democratic state in the middle east is Israel.
It is time that Fowler returned to his enforced silence.
As I see it...
"Galagher"
