The Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper is in the UK before heading to Bonn and other European destinations, ostensibly to help solve world economic problems. But while world leaders gathered to hammer out the final details of the G20 Summit Comminiqué and president Obama worked with Russia to forge a deal on nuclear disarmament, where was our PM?
He was star-struck meeting Owen Hargreaves, the injured soccer star of Manchester United F.C.
“Owen Hargreaves is one of Canada’s most famous and accomplished international athletes,” said the Prime Minister. “Given soccer’s massive worldwide appeal, it is certainly refreshing to note that one of the sport’s brightest stars is Canadian.”
OK, we get it, Stephen Harper is just like the rest of us. He likes to meet important people. But with a budget approaching $5000/day for each person in Mr. Harper’s entourage, shouldn’t he be more focused on the issues of the Summit while in London?
Canadians have real economic difficulties as a result of the signficant disruptions in the global economy. Fixing it, is what the meetings in London are all about.
How about meeting with G20 leaders to learn about a Green sustainable plan for economic development that moves us beyond the types of industries that are crashing?
How about talking to leaders of the G20 nations and establishing investment priorities that make Climate-Friendly industry a primary focus. By using this forum to promote clean energy technology and green industry, leaders can address two significant challenges:
- take steps towards climate change solutions, raising the bar for Copenhagen meetings later this year.
- achieve energy security, reducing our dependance on unsustainable energy policy that promotes instead of discourages carbon emissions.
While the Prime Minister joked about Hargreave’s achievements:
“I know that the Red Devils provoke a rather passionate reaction from football fans on both sides of the Atlantic,” joked the Prime Minister. “But that certainly won’t prevent me from rooting for Owen’s continued success. Thank you, Owen, for all you have done to shine the international spotlight on Canadian soccer.”
We hope Mr. Harper has his priorities right when the G20 Leaders ink the communique that moves the global economy towards sustainability. Otherwise, it’s bound to spur a passionate reaction from all those workers whose livelihood is threatened by current global economic uncertainty. We’re looking to the prime minister to step into the spotlight and promote Canada’s agenda, providing a real economic solution for Canadians.
April 2 addendum:
Just to prove how important the meeting with world leaders was to Canada, Mr. Harper’s staff even dropped the ball when it came time for the group photo on April 2. Some reports claimed Stephen Harper was in the toilet.
Asked if summit officials could use Photoshop to insert an image of him, an aide laughed: “That’s a good question.”
A better question might be, “Are Canadians getting their tax dollar value out of this important European tour?”
top photo: andreasmisera
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