Mark Levin’s interview with Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister
Last week, the Honourable John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade
and Development, took a few minutes while on a trip to Mongolia to
speak to Mark Levin on his radio show (Listen Here—Go to the 7/24/14 show, 49:10 mark).
Levin and Baird spoke about the current Middle East crisis.
To Canadians and others who follow Canadian politics closely, what the minister told Levin about Canada’s position on Israel and Gaza was no surprise. He was espousing the position of the Canadian government as it has been since Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party first took power in 2006.
Regarding foreign affairs, the Minister said Canada’s position is clear— the government stands beside its ally Israel, a liberal democracy, and against Hamas, an international terror organization.
Canada’s position is the current fighting started because Hamas was firing rockets into Israel that targeted civilians and the fighting would end if the rockets stopped. Instead of simply mouthing the response of liberal politicians, that Israel has the right to defend itself, Baird went further. The Foreign Minister said the country also has an obligation to protect Israelis. They are doing only what the US and Canada would do if missiles were raining down on those countries.
Baird also carefully pointed out that Canada has a good relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the war Israel is waging is not against the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian people nor Gaza but against Hamas.
Baird also talked about the United Nations, pointing out reports indicate weapons were found in a UN building in Gaza and supposedly turned over to the authorities which of course is Hamas.
To give a recent example of the position of Harper, Baird, and the government of Canada, Baird issued a press release two days prior to appearing on Levin’s show concerning information that rockets were found in a UN building in Gaza. After saying he was “appalled” by where the weapons were found, Baird wrote:
Baird told the talk show host that a significant portion of the media in Canada is left-wing and anti-Israel and then said, “We don’t care.” Baird said his government stands up for what’s right and does not “go along to get along.”
While the left and the media elites will disagree with the Minister’s statement, he’s right. With the exception of Sun News, the media in Canada, that includes the publicly funded CBC, takes the position that Israel is the only bad guy and solely responsible for the Palestinian death toll that has now passed 1,000. While deaths in Gaza, mainly those of children, are highlighted in Canada’s mainstream media, there is little or no mention of Hamas and their firing rockets at Israeli civilians, little or no mention of Hamas as opposed to Palestinian people and little or no mention of the fact the killing would be over if only the terrorist group stopped firing rockets into Israel. In other words, the Canadian media is in tune with CNN and other left-wing media.
You would think that when the Foreign Minister of Canada speaks about a current crisis on an American program that has millions of listeners it would be big news. But alas, no.
The mainstream Canadian media primarily ignored what Baird told Americans through his appearance on the show and the coverage appears to be limited to one Canadian Press article that has appeared in a few news sources.
It would be hard to for CP or anyone else to criticize either the way Levin conducted the interview or Baird’s remarks. Levin let Baird talk and told him he didn’t want to put him on the hot seat, showing the host was aware that Canada’s top diplomat would be in a bad position if he publicly criticized Obama or the American government on an American radio program.
The headline that appeared in the Cambridge Times along with the CP version was “Right-wing US radio toasts Harper government over Mideast while blasting Obama.” It seems that any criticism of Obama by someone on the right constitutes a “blasting.”
The Canadian media simply doesn’t think a right-wing talk show host interviewing a pro-Israeli government minister is worth spending too much time on. Who cares? They certainly don’t.
It is obvious, many conservative listeners of The Mark Levin Show were impressed with the position taken by Harper and Baird on Israel and Gaza. On some Internet sites, comments were made by Americans that they would like to come to Canada.
For those Americans who may wish to head north, just be sure and do it legally. Canada protects its southern border.
Levin and Baird spoke about the current Middle East crisis.
To Canadians and others who follow Canadian politics closely, what the minister told Levin about Canada’s position on Israel and Gaza was no surprise. He was espousing the position of the Canadian government as it has been since Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party first took power in 2006.
Regarding foreign affairs, the Minister said Canada’s position is clear— the government stands beside its ally Israel, a liberal democracy, and against Hamas, an international terror organization.
Canada’s position is the current fighting started because Hamas was firing rockets into Israel that targeted civilians and the fighting would end if the rockets stopped. Instead of simply mouthing the response of liberal politicians, that Israel has the right to defend itself, Baird went further. The Foreign Minister said the country also has an obligation to protect Israelis. They are doing only what the US and Canada would do if missiles were raining down on those countries.
Baird also carefully pointed out that Canada has a good relationship with the Palestinian Authority and the war Israel is waging is not against the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian people nor Gaza but against Hamas.
Baird also talked about the United Nations, pointing out reports indicate weapons were found in a UN building in Gaza and supposedly turned over to the authorities which of course is Hamas.
To give a recent example of the position of Harper, Baird, and the government of Canada, Baird issued a press release two days prior to appearing on Levin’s show concerning information that rockets were found in a UN building in Gaza. After saying he was “appalled” by where the weapons were found, Baird wrote:
“Canada unequivocally calls upon the United Nations to launch an independent investigation to determine the facts surrounding these reports. Canada also calls on the United Nations to ensure in the second case, no rockets are returned to Hamas.Levin told Baird that the American media engages in a moral equivalency when reporting on Israel and Gaza and asked him if the Canadian media is the same. While Baird had so far simply been repeating the well-known position of the Canadian government regarding Israel and Gaza, his comments about the Canadian media were surprisingly blunt.
Anything less than an independent investigation would be absolutely unacceptable. If proven true, this would fly in the face of all that the United Nations should stand for as an institution committed to the peace and security of its members.”
Baird told the talk show host that a significant portion of the media in Canada is left-wing and anti-Israel and then said, “We don’t care.” Baird said his government stands up for what’s right and does not “go along to get along.”
While the left and the media elites will disagree with the Minister’s statement, he’s right. With the exception of Sun News, the media in Canada, that includes the publicly funded CBC, takes the position that Israel is the only bad guy and solely responsible for the Palestinian death toll that has now passed 1,000. While deaths in Gaza, mainly those of children, are highlighted in Canada’s mainstream media, there is little or no mention of Hamas and their firing rockets at Israeli civilians, little or no mention of Hamas as opposed to Palestinian people and little or no mention of the fact the killing would be over if only the terrorist group stopped firing rockets into Israel. In other words, the Canadian media is in tune with CNN and other left-wing media.
You would think that when the Foreign Minister of Canada speaks about a current crisis on an American program that has millions of listeners it would be big news. But alas, no.
The mainstream Canadian media primarily ignored what Baird told Americans through his appearance on the show and the coverage appears to be limited to one Canadian Press article that has appeared in a few news sources.
It would be hard to for CP or anyone else to criticize either the way Levin conducted the interview or Baird’s remarks. Levin let Baird talk and told him he didn’t want to put him on the hot seat, showing the host was aware that Canada’s top diplomat would be in a bad position if he publicly criticized Obama or the American government on an American radio program.
The headline that appeared in the Cambridge Times along with the CP version was “Right-wing US radio toasts Harper government over Mideast while blasting Obama.” It seems that any criticism of Obama by someone on the right constitutes a “blasting.”
The Canadian media simply doesn’t think a right-wing talk show host interviewing a pro-Israeli government minister is worth spending too much time on. Who cares? They certainly don’t.
It is obvious, many conservative listeners of The Mark Levin Show were impressed with the position taken by Harper and Baird on Israel and Gaza. On some Internet sites, comments were made by Americans that they would like to come to Canada.
For those Americans who may wish to head north, just be sure and do it legally. Canada protects its southern border.
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