Mr. Martin stands tall!

After a weekend of veiled threats from Beijing, Canada has finally decided that as an independent member of the world community, we shall meet with whomever we want, whenever we want. Though in true Canadian style we went about our brave declaration in a somewhat disorganized way. A quiet announcement from the PMO, on a Government holiday announced that the Prime Minister will meet with the Dalai Lama. An announcement that caught both the Dalai Lama’s representatives and Chinese officials by surprise equally.

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet is making a Canadian tour this month and for the last week or so Canadian officials have been waffling over whether they should have the Prime Minister meet him. Beijing which is intent on keeping the Dalai Lama’s influence in check, issued warnings to Canada that any form of official recognition could possibly lead to serious trade, cultural and political ramifications. The folks in Beijing apparently confusing Ottawa with Hong Kong and Taipei.

For a while there it seemed that official Ottawa was going to let China dictate Canadian foreign policy, but fortunately somebody at External Affairs and the PMO developed a back bone and have decided to tell China to mind its own business, diplomatically mind you. It’s expected an official announcement with details on just what format the meeting will take is expected in the next couple of days.

For far too long Canada has tip toed around China all in the quest for elusive trade dollars, from a country that turns around and dumps hundreds of millions of dollars of product on Canadian shores each year. To think that they will turn their back on a captive trade market for their products, simply because we met with a religious leader seems a tad incredulous.

What would be the worst that would happen if they chose not to send us their VCR’s, clothing items and pretty well any other item available at your local Wal Mart? Well there’s Employment possibly, if China no longer dumped their inexpensive items in Canada, then perhaps a Canadian manufacturing base would once again be feasible. A simplistic look at global economics yes, but since the tide of Chinese imports arrived in Canada factories across Canada have been closing one after the other.

However, don’t be rushing down to your local EI office looking for a job, China won’t be calling back the container ships. North America’s lust for their products will not go unfulfilled, Dalai Lama meeting or not.

The Dalai Lama issue is always a hot potato, George Bush and Tony Blair have both had an audience with him, though both went out of their way to do so in a format that would not cause too much distress on the Chinese. Jean Chretien had three opportunities to meet with him, but never managed to make time as Prime Minister (he did meet with him as opposition leader). Of course, Chretien enjoyed his “Team Canada” junkets and probably wouldn’t want to put them in jeopardy. Not to mention his post government lobbying for the private sector in China. So for Martin to actually schedule a meeting is certainly a change in Foreign Policy.

It’s also an indication that an office that has spent the last four months seemingly lost in confusion, is capable of making an important decision from time to time. A welcome change from the norm. But they really didn’t have any other choice, to allow Beijing to brow beat Canada into doing what it wanted would have sent a bad signal to other countries around the world.

While the Canada-Tibet committee might be wishing for a declaration of support for a return to Tibetan autonomy from Canada, they won’t get one. The Prime Minister while planning to meet with the Dalai Lama will do so under the umbrella of religion, in the same category as an audience with the Pope or the moderator of the Church of England.

Whatever the arrangement, the meeting is something that is a positive statement. Canada should have the courage to stand up and decide what’s best for itself. Dismissing China’s veiled threats is the proper way of treating a country that is overstepping its International weight.

There are still many lessons for Canada to learn from our international partners, but when it comes to topics such as human rights and international recommendations on who we should talk with, China had best stick to its own knitting.