CKNW Editorial
for August 4, 1999

All right, folks – I hate to do this to you again but what is so hard to understand about this – a person is not a criminal until so judged. Isn’t that what we were all taught in school?

Well, not only do we have John Reynolds of the Reform Party of Canada prepared to call the 123 boat people criminals, he’s joined by West Vancouver Liberal Jeremy Dalton. Now just what a provincial Liberal is doing wading into this matter I don’t know but he writes me stating in effect that these people are like people breaking into our home and asks whether we put them up for the night? He clearly doesn’t understand that this is a very poor analogy – by reason of our international obligations our country is to refugees as a church is to he who seeks sanctuary. Refugees are entitled to come to Canada and we are entitled to reject them only after they are found not to qualify.

He goes on to say that “Leadership is a precious and missing commodity at all levels including the opposition in Victoria.” Timely letter, Mr Dalton, because your leader will be with me in a moment and will no doubt be interested in your comments.

I’ll tell you what leadership is, Mr Dalton. It’s facing down public hysteria fanned by politicians on the make and being unpopular once in awhile.

Let me explain it to you again, Jeremy.

Yes, these people are in our house, so to speak, but we invited them. We did that the moment we subscribed to the United Nations manifesto on refugees. We said that we would take our share of refugees who must, to effectively seek refuge, find their way to our shores.

Here comes the tough part, Mr Dalton. When people arrive at our house, or to use a better analogy our sanctuary, we have a process to decide whether or not they qualify under the United Nations definitions. We do that because it is the law of the land. If we were to simply push them out to sea, as the Liberal government of 1939 did with the St Louis containing nearly 900 Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, it would be a denial of our international obligations – as well as being inhumane.

But let me dwell on that for a moment. Canada is the master of its own fate. If it wishes it can do just as you suggest – send these “boat people” back without a by-your-leave. All we have to do is change the law. But you, as a professed leader, must surely insist that until the law is changed that it be obeyed.

Now, you might well say and indeed you do say that these laws are a mess. Fine then, fix them. If the process takes too long, shorten it. If there are not enough people looking after the refugee situation, hire more. Either that or renege on your UN obligation.

Your leadership is dreadful, Mr Dalton because it is rank cowardice. Instead of urging your constituents to petition the federal government to fix refugee regulations to suit you, you applaud and encourage Immigration officials to break that law because you know you’ll get some cheers from the peanut gallery. You call for backbone whereas it is you who is spineless and unwilling to risk unpopularity. You and John Reynolds deserve each other.

But I’ll give you a bit of wisdom of the ages, Jeremy Dalton – it’ll catch up to you. The electorate can be dazzled in the short term … I have no doubt that your mail will run 50-1 in your favour. But the time will come when the public will realize that what you in effect are doing is urging that the law be broken in order to pander to the multitude. And when they do, they will realize just what a shallow thinker you are.

You say it takes backbone to throw these wretches back into the Pacific – you’ve got it all wrong, Jeremy. It takes backbone to face the vast majority and say what you know to be right and honourable.

And you know, how strange it is that I don’t hear you or your fellow breast beaters crying that the Cuban athletes in Winnipeg who have defected be sent home. What the hell is the difference, Jeremy? The Cubans and Chinese are both fleeing repressive communist regimes! Why are the Cubans defectors, a name that has honour going back to the Berlin Wall days and the Chinese are criminals and bogus refugees – or in your imagery, house breakers? Do you suppose these Chinese defectors are in any less danger than the Cuban defectors?

Jeremy I couldn’t care less about popularity and mine is measured far more often than yours is. What I care about is the rule of law. You would break the law selectively in order to win some political points. I won’t do that which I guess is why you’re in politics and I am not.

Canada has but two choices – it can reject all who come seeking its refuge or it can take legitimate refugees. If it is to be the latter, the legitimacy cannot be determined by loud mouth politicians on the make or the momentary roar of the crowd they incite, but upon principles of justice. I guess you can’t understand that, Jeremy, so I can only hope that if your party ever comes to power your boss doesn’t put you anywhere that tough and unpopular decisions are to be made.

Assistant deputy whip sounds like about the right place for you.