In a commentary at the Ottawa Citizen, Terry Glavin asks a reasonable question about why Canada should cooperate with China when their purchases of oil from Iran and other areas could worsen security for western nations.
In my opinion, this is a fair question and it is one that I hope that Harper poses to the leader of China in his meeting next month. If China will not step up to the plate and defuse tensions in North Korea or Iran resulting from their nuclear weapons programs, why should we look on them as friends in the global context?
Where I think Terry does go off track is linking this issue to the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. Constructing this pipeline could enable Canada to become a supplier to friendly Pacific nations such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan in a manner that reduces their vulnerability to disruptions in their supply lines from the middle east. Creating this capability could stop China from ever attempting to cut of the flow of oil to those allies and to me is in the national security interests of Canada and the USA.
On this issue, I think that Terry has been listening to too many of his latte sipping friends in Victoria.
