A Canadian Press report filed by Bruce Cheadle paints a picture of Liberal Canadian Prime Minister Paul (“we lead the world”) Martin’s latest trip around the world in 80 days as a confused tiresome mess.
He spends most of the article trying to explain the incoherence of the mission and of the Prime Minister himself, at one point writing “By the time Martin gave his last public address at a dinner Saturday evening in Hong Kong, he was swaying on his feet with fatigue and stumbling over his words.”
HONG KONG (CP) – Prime Minister Paul Martin’s weeklong visit to four countries and six cities in southeast Asia was bookended by a central question: Why was he there?
The seemingly straightforward querie [sic] tied the prime minister and his officials in knots from the first time it was asked 11 days ago to the final day of the marathon trek […]
When each reporter pressed him, Martin reluctantly offered up the favoured destination status Beijing has promised Canada. The details have yet to be worked out, but Martin suggested that in the long run it could quadruple the number of Chinese tourists visiting Canada. No one bothered to ask how many currently come.
When the final news conference rolled around Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong, Martin decided it was time to clear the air with a lengthy dissertation, complete with crib notes.
“I believe that Canada can, and I believe Canada has to make a difference,” said the prime minister.
“And that my definition of Canadian sovereignty is in fact a Canada that is making that difference. Let me then take it to the next level. Let’s take that concept and bring it down to hard cases.”
[…] “Surely the time (has come) to build those relationships . . . with Russia, Brazil, India and China … ,” said Martin.
“The time to do it is not 10 years from now. The time to do it is now.”
That simple message took Martin almost 10 minutes to enunciate. […]
And call this a cheap shot if you like, but here’s a kicker:
[…] And while the prime minister was making a point in China of talking about intellectual property rights, what should appear as the first inflight movie on his return voyage but a cheaply pirated DVD of the Ray Charles biopic, a movie which has yet to be legally released for sale or rental. […]
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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