"Israel has no greater friend in the world today than Canada," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird declared at the Global Forum in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. "Our strong support for Israel is not about politics at home, and certainly not about winning popularity contests at the United Nations. Canada certainly has the scars to show for it. It's about values."
Baird was addressing the AJC World Leaders Plenary, attended by an audience of more than 1,500.
Canada's pro-Israel position, he said, was a matter of principle, based on the values of "freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law" that Canada shares with Israel and the U.S.
"At the UN and elsewhere, we make it clear that Israel's right to exist is non-negotiable. We vote against one-sided and unfair resolutions," Baird said in a statement.
Canada has not always been so friendly to Israel, said Baird, who recalled two incidents in his own career when his suggestions to speak up for the Jewish state were rebuffed as naive and politically unrealistic.
"That is no longer how Canada operates," he said, "Not under this foreign minister. And not under this prime minister."
Baird also expressed Canada's commitment to human rights, specifically denouncing Iran for its persecution of women, Christians and Baha'i, China for driving Christianity underground, and Egypt for its treatment of Coptic Christians.
Original Article
Source: toronto sun
Author: QMI Agency
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