Campaign cone of silence descends on Saudi Arabia arms deal: Neil Macdonald

For a brief, fascinating moment, it looked like we might actually be having a real national discussion about Canada's embrace of a bellicose, misogynistic, medieval theocracy that has a nasty habit of shoving cash into the pockets of those Stephen Harper would call "jihadi terrorists."

The reason for the lack of disclosure would appear to be pretty simple: the Saudis have demanded secrecy, and Conservative ministers were instructed accordingly.

Something else: As Duceppe correctly pointed out, the objective difference between our allies, the Saudis, and ISIS is blurred.

Despite now being part of the anti-ISIS coalition, the Saudis have provided extensive support to the group in the past, and have funded extremist madrassas (schools) and mosques worldwide over the years.

In fact, 28 pages of the U.S. Congress's report on 9/11, which remain officially suppressed, are widely believed to accuse high-ranking Saudi officials of providing consular and financial support to the hijackers, the vast majority of whom were Saudis.

So. Why did Canada's arms sales die so quickly as a campaign issue? It wasn't even raised in the foreign policy debate a week later.

Well, our main party leaders really don't want to talk about it. Justin Trudeau simply evaded the question during the French debate.

Tom Mulcair went a bit further, saying Canada should study a country's human rights record before approving arms sales, and was promptly asked by a large industrial union involved in the contract, Unifor, to please shut up.

("We asked the NDP to not make this an issue, that it be kept under wraps," said Fergo Berto, Unifor area director for London.)

TRUDEAU HOLDING SACHA-SAUDI HEAD DRESS
Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau holds his then six-year-old son Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau in his arms while on a tour of Saudi Arabia in November 1980. (Andy Clark/Canadian Press)

But what really killed the issue was the apparently widespread belief among Canadians that the Saudis are somehow moderate.

"Thanos" said
I won't be voting in the election and this issue is the main reason why. I can't support a leader that stands behind any business deals with Saudi Arabia, not after what the actions of the Saudis over the last year have done to Alberta.

"Thanos" said
I'm depressed and demoralized, but I'm not that insane.

"Thanos" said
I live in Harper's riding.

"martin14" said
I live in Harper's riding.

"Thanos" said
The way I look at it now I really have no one that I can vote for anymore. I detest the Liberals and Dippers with everything in me, and voting Conservative at all has been completely pointless because when the chips are down they will never ever be there for people like me.

It's all a fucking sham and it took me almost fifty years to figure it out. I'd sooner live in a place modelled after Nazi Germany. No rights of free expression but at least they made sure you had a job and that citizens would be favoured over foreigners instead of the other way around.

IN THE local referendum, inhabitants of the municipality of Gab?�kovo on August 2 refused the refugees that shall arrive there, and also the establishment of a temporary refugee camp.

A total of 2,603 voters went to the ballot boxes; which is 58.46 percent of eligible inhabitants. Out of that, 96.67 percent, i.e. 2,501 inhabitants, were against, chair of the referendum committee Teodor Bodo confirmed for the TASR newswire.

"Thanos" said

These fucking Arab assholes are our enemies. Why in the fuck are so few out there capable of even seeing it?

"Thanos" said
I'm depressed and demoralized, but I'm not that insane.