I will go on record as saying the following: Canada will participate in a space-based ballistic missile defence program. And are we really surprised?
Check out this article on cbc.ca: http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/02/22/mckenna-missile050222.html
I once gave a book entitled How To Be A Canadian to some Australian friends in my community on the Waterloo campus. In that book, the Liberals are described a party who in the place of a heart; have a weathervane. This is how they have managed to remain in power for so long. They're not "nut-job right wingers" like the Conservatives or "nut-job left wingers" like the NDP. They're exactly...nowhere in particular, and Canadians generally like this idea.
Unfortunately, this facade of impartiality has lead to some pretty insidious actions on the part of Liberals across Ontario in particular. For example, Msr. Martin says that he is "undecided" on the missile defence program but he opposes the "weaponization" of space. What does that mean exactly? It leaves Msr. Martin open to say "we will not participate in the missile defence program" because he said that he opposes the weaponization of space. It also leaves him open to say "we WILL participate in the missile defence program" because a defence system is used for defence only; not as a "weapon" of aggression.
Either way, Msr. Martin allows himself no accountability. Therefore, does it really come as a surprise that the Liberals will support a missile defence program? I see Mr. McKenna's comments as just the beginning of a slew of Liberal rhetoric to justify their lack of an exact stance on the missile defence issue. It will basically boil down to the federal Liberal party saying "Hey, we never said we WON'T support the missile defence program."
I argue that the federal Liberal party has an agenda, and that's to take part in the missile defence program while insidiously gaining the electoral support of the Canadian population that opposes the idea of participation in a missile defence program.
