BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a story titled 'Trudeau, Blinken tight-lipped on two Michaels as U.S. secretary of state Zooms Canada' published on Feb. 26.
*************************
Last week’s virtual summit between our government and America’s could prove to be a panacea for a few major problems.
In no uncertain terms, U.S. President Joe Biden declared he will help Canada work for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor who are still falsely imprisoned in China. He then pledged he will stand with us in upholding democratic values and defending human rights across the globe.
His words follow Canada’s parliamentary decision to join with other nations in denouncing China’s genocide against Asian Islamic citizens. These overtures are crucial for policy makers as governments in light of China’s growing belligerence.
There is reason to believe the virtual summit could be the start of a new alliance that will tackle major issues, ranging from China to climate change. Mr. Biden has vowed his presidency will undo the harms done by his predecessor Donald Trump across many fronts and toward many allies.
Biden’s first executive orders included rescinding the travel ban imposed by Trump on several Islamic countries, renewing America’s commitment to global environmental agreements, and providing a pathway to citizenship for nearly 11 million illegal persons residing inside America; a key part of this order includes reuniting migrant children forcibly separated from their families and wrongfully detained by the previous Trump government.
Then there’s the mutual commitment to new environmental policy, such as slashing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and encouraging the development of a green economy that would manufacture batteries for electric vehicles and promote their use.
Also discussed were plans to reduce methane emissions, provide for the sale of clean electricity across the border, and protect businesses from countries with lax environmental policies.
Most striking was Canada’s sudden commitment to spending two per cent of its GDP on military purchases, an ongoing oversight the current government failed to address for which it earned harsh criticism from the former Trump regime.
Christopher Mansour
Barrie
*************************
