US Political Civility

[GP_Matt]

"While I am on foreign soil, I'm very careful not to be critical of my own government's policies," Romney told reporters during a later meeting with Labour Party leader Ed Miliband. "I would be even more remiss if I were to be critical of any other government's policies. I will instead look forward to an exchange of ideas."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/r...120908039.html

I just came across this news article and I think his actions are something that Canadian politicians could learn from. I don't think it matters if you support the left or right, when a politician meets other leaders he should refrain from criticizing Canada or the Canadian government. Fight at home all you want but don't draw your neighbours into the row.

Canadians are normally known for civility so I was surprised to see this coming from the states while we have provincial leaders and opposition leaders bad mouthing Canada abroad.
I can't recall if Stephen Harper engaged in this before he was elected, but my gut says that he did as well. (Possibly during the Iraq invasion)

[bomber317]

wait, what? Asking our politicians to be team players and advance Canada as a whole?

That's crazy talk.

[GP_Matt]

So why can the "Hyper-partisan" Americans manage it?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

So why can the "Hyper-partisan" Americans manage it?

They aren't:

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2...of-romney-tour

Romney aide saying Obama doesn't respect the "Special Relationship"

[MarchHare]

In the age of 24-hour news available to a worldwide audience, it's not like the citizens of foreign countries aren't already intimately familiar with all the various jabs Romney has already taken at Obama (and vice versa). Does he really think David Cameron and the rest of the British public are so out-of-touch with domestic American politics?

[MarchHare]

I can't recall if Stephen Harper engaged in this before he was elected, but my gut says that he did as well. (Possibly during the Iraq invasion)

Harper and Stockwell Day authored a full-page ad that was published in the Wall St. Journal criticizing Chretien's government for not joining the Iraq invasion.

Canadians Stand With You

By STEPHEN HARPER and STOCKWELL DAY

Today, the world is at war. A coalition of countries under the leadership of the U.K. and the U.S. is leading a military intervention to disarm Saddam Hussein. Yet Prime Minister Jean Chretien has left Canada outside this multilateral coalition of nations.

This is a serious mistake. For the first time in history, the Canadian government has not stood beside its key British and American allies in their time of need. The Canadian Alliance -- the official opposition in parliament -- supports the American and British position because we share their concerns, their worries about the future if Iraq is left unattended to, and their fundamental vision of civilization and human values. Disarming Iraq is necessary for the long-term security of the world, and for the collective interests of our key historic allies and therefore manifestly in the national interest of Canada. Make no mistake, as our allies work to end the reign of Saddam and the brutality and aggression that are the foundations of his regime, Canada's largest opposition party, the Canadian Alliance will not be neutral. In our hearts and minds, we will be with our allies and friends. And Canadians will be overwhelmingly with us.

But we will not be with the Canadian government.

Modern Canada was forged in large part by war -- not because it was easy but because it was right. In the great wars of the last century -- against authoritarianism, fascism, and communism -- Canada did not merely stand with the Americans, more often than not we led the way. We did so for freedom, for democracy, for civilization itself. These values continue to be embodied in our allies and their leaders, and scorned by the forces of evil, including Saddam Hussein and the perpetrators of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That is why we will stand -- and I believe most Canadians will stand with us -- for these higher values which shaped our past, and which we will need in an uncertain future.

Messrs. Harper and Day are the leader and shadow foreign minister, respectively, of the Canadian Alliance.

[bomber317]

This is my take on it, purely opinion.

I would think Canada is just as, if not more partisan than the US.

We have the East, the West, and Quebec. It's tough to think of Canada as a whole when we have these separations.

The greenness of our politicians. There was a pair of NDPs that bashed our own policies outside of Canada and I would like to think that would have been avoided with more experience. The NDP put a lot of green candidates in last election with their surprise wins. And just green in politics, but green in business experience, and maybe even life. 17 member of the NDP party are below 30.

And bring in that the Conservatives has some members that went through the same growing pains. They have candidates that were in their 20s when they got elected. They are now in their 30/40s.

So, I guess I'm blaming our political system and how we approach politics in Canada. If we had better people in there, we could have a better "team". But why be a politician in Canada? There are better opportunities and more prestige in the business world. Politician is a dirty word to the average Canadian.

[Senator Clay Davis]

^^If I was the NDP or Liberals I would try and use that against Stephen Harper more often. Chretien was brilliant in not going to the debacle that was Iraq.