An apology from the people of Canada to the People of Iran

On September 7, 2012 the Harper government's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced that it was closing Iran's embassy in Canada and expelling Iran's diplomats. The Harper government claimed, without providing evidence, that Iran was a state sponsor of terrorism. According to Minister Baird "Canada views the government of Iran as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today." In reality global peace and security are never improved by hostility or by a limiting of communication between factions in a dispute.

The Harper government's move, in this case, is itself a threat to security and global peace. There was a time, not long ago, when Canada was the world's peacekeeper and a trusted 3rd party negotiator in international disputes. Prime Minister Harper seems willing and even anxious to throw away this status in favor of becoming a, belated, member of George W. Bush's "Coalition of the Willing". For some reason, possibly religious, he seems interested in spreading distrust and increasing hostility between Western nations and the predominantly Muslim countries of the Middle East.

Harper, who has never enjoyed the support of more than 40% of Canada is taking our country in directions that are not in its best interest and that are, in a word, unCanadian. Since he cannot be removed from office at the moment, it is up to individual Canadians to show that we are still Canadian and that we still value peace, tolerance, cooperation and the settling of international disputes through discussion, negotiation and compromise rather than threats and hostility.