Prime Minister Trudeau does not attend Castro's funeral

(November 28)  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will not be attending the funeral next Sunday of former Cuban president Fidel Castro the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has confirmed. The PMO said only that his schedule did not permit it.

 

Castro seized power in 1959 and ruled until 2006 when he turned the leadership over to his brother Raul. He died just last week at the age of 90 but had been in poor health for some time. The Governor General David Johnson will attend a commemoration on Tuesday in Havana but there is no word on who, if anyone, will represent Canada at the funeral.

Trudeau had issued a statement that included positive aspects of Castro's rule. The entire statement can be found on the Prime Minister's website. Trudeau had several positive things to say about Castro for example that he improved education and health care in Cuba. He noted as well his father's friendship with Castro. Castro attended Pierre Trudeau's funeral in Montreal as shown in the appended video with the Jimmy Carter. Castro was an honorary pallbearer at Pierre Trudeau's funeral in 2000.

Maxime Bernier, a Conservative party leadership candidate, called on Trudeau not to attend the funeral saying: "Fidel Castro was a brutal dictator who killed and imprisoned countless Cubans while keeping the rest of the country impoverished due to his reckless communist ideology." Of course this is a proper right wing reaction but many of the left in the west are also strongly anti-communist, so while not joining in the strong denunciation of many conservatives, leftists must not say anything that might be interpreted as pro-communist. NDP leader Tom Mulcair tweeted: "Upon the passing of Fidel Castro let us think of the lives impacted by his actions and be hopeful for the future of the Cuban people." Trudeau's dad was not so careful about political sensibilities and never attempted to hide or downplay his friendship with Castro or his support for the country against the wishes of the United States.

In a response to the criticism of his statement Justin Trudeau said that he believed that Castro was a dictator. This is a must term when mentioning Castro. Note the contrast when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died: "Mr Obama paid tribute to Abdullah as a leader who "was always candid and had the courage of his convictions". UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised Abdullah's work 'to promote dialogue among the world's faiths'." Of course the king was also a dictator and had a dismal record on human rights and the rights of women. But then he had oil and was friendly with western imperialist countries.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale defended Mr. Trudeau and said the Prime Minister reflected on “the unique relationship that Castro had with Canada," and claimed that the relationship actually reduced geopolitical tensions. Goodale said: “Mr. Trudeau has stood up and spoken vigorously about human rights wherever he has gone in the world, whether that’s China or Africa or indeed, in Cuba a couple of weeks ago. Mr. Trudeau’s record on human rights and civil liberties is very strong and very clear. And he’s regarded around the world as an eloquent spokesman in that regard.” Of course he also ships armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia.

The Mexican president Pena Nieto will attend the funeral. Although Putin will not attend, his close ally, the speaker of the State Duma will lead the Russian delegation. Neither Obama nor the U.K. PM Theresa May will attend. Maxime Bernier claimed that attending the funeral could jeopardize relations with the United States. To that his father would have replied "fuddle duddle!" Surely if Nieto can attend, Trudeau can too.

Fidel Castro on Stephen Harper's Illusions

A CBC report here by David Common comments on Fidel Castro.s recent remarks called ""Stephen Harper's Illusions". Common trying to be fair and balanced calls the remarks a rant. While it is true that it is rambling and sometimes polemical the meaning of most of it is not difficult to grasp. The parts critical of the environmental records of Canadian companies in South America are certainly not off base.

There is a video interview with John Kirk a professor of Latin American Studies at Dalhousie which is far more balanced and informative than Common's commentary. Among the comments on the Common's piece is this:"Did anybody actually read Castro's writing? Whether you agree with it or not, what Castro was getting at is really simple to understand." This commentator gives a link to Castro's actual remarks translated into English. You can read for yourself.

David Common finds Castro's ending bewildering and apparently not connected to anything. Here is a quote from Common's article.

""The topic, it seems, is the upcoming Summit of the Americas that Cuba has evidently not been invited to.

"Who could hold back from laughing?" Castro poses, "We must hurry up and tell Harper."

Tell him what exactly? ""

Apparently the meaning of the rambling old man escapes Common who surely must have all his faculties but somehow misses what Castro implies in his ending. Harper has the illusion that he is accepted as an equal by the U.S. But when push comes to shove and Canada is no longer of use to the U.S. or goes against U.S. policy--not a likely scenario under Harper-- he will find out he is not. No doubt the U.S. president could wear a beaver skin hat made in Canada to the summit of the Americas but Harper would not be invited to the meeting. Here is what Castro said on the issue. This puts the Harper ending in the context necessary to understand what it implies.

"""The guayabera shirts to be worn by Obama in Cartagena has become one of the main issues covered by the news agencies: "Edgar Gomez [...] has designed one for the U.S. President, Barack Obama, who will be wearing it during the Summit of the Americas," said the daughter of the designer, who added: "It is a white, sober guayabera, with a handiwork that is more striking that usual..."

Immediately after that, the news agency added that the Caribbean shirt was first made by the banks of the Yayabo River in Cuba; that is why they were originally called yayaberas.

The curious thing about this, dear readers, is that Cuba has been forbidden to attend that meeting, but not the guayaberas. Who could hold back from laughing? We must hurry up and tell Harper. ""

 Actually there are many views as to where these shirts originated. Some say the Pbilippines, others Mexico, others still Spain. At any rate they are quite popular in those countries as well as Cuba. See this wikipedia entry. Certainly Castro has to tell us a story to together with his message but it is hardly that opaque and it fits in quite well with the title Stephen Harper's Illusions.