Peter Van Loan visits his Baltic homeland
Kommentaarid on kirjutatud EWR lugejate poolt. Nende sisu ei pruugi ühtida EWR toimetuse seisukohtadega.
VanemadUuemad
.16 Jul 2006 06:07
Who are the "civil society representatives" that Mr. Van Loan intends to meet with? Do they have a mandate? If so, based on what? By implication, they're distinct from goverment officials and others who (presumably) represent "uncivil society".

I wonder if Mr. Van Loan isn't going on a nice vacation at taxpayer's expense.
Maxim18 Jul 2006 00:25
If there is no change to the visa system which currently operates in the case of Estonians visiting Canada, then his presence here is nothing more than a personal visit. I will be interested to see whether our media picks up on his visit and it makes for some kind of TV or radio coverage.
Tim18 Jul 2006 09:11
Can't imagine where the direction for this "official" visit came from!? As the Parliamentary Secretary, Van Loan is responsible for Canadians abroad, so what the hell is he doing lollygagging around the Baltics at the taxpayer's expense when we need to get those Canadians out of Lebanon?
Horace18 Jul 2006 13:29
There have'nt been enough contacts between Canadian and Estonian officials over the last 15 years (if we exclude day-to-day diplomatic contacts). Thus trade, cultural and other relations have'nt been as reciprocally beneficial as one would wish. One obstacle is obviously Canada's visa requirement, which hinders private and official travel here. A better understanding of other country's positive and negative aspects requires personal knowledge. He is in a unique position to return with genuine, creditable information for the Canadian government to digest. Cynical comments aside, Van Loan's visit is essential.
Tim19 Jul 2006 11:23
Essential to what? From his press statement it would seem that he's using tax payer dollars for a journey to discover his roots: he's meeting with Frieberga because she's his mother's old school chum!
The reality is that low level contacts like this won't improve relations as any report to parliament will be shoved to the back of that day's agenda . . . if they get to it at all.

And in today's reality, Van Loan should be in Ottawa dealing with the crisis at hand. His only responisbility as PArl Sec. is consular affairs and as such he has totally botched the Lebanon evacuation.

In the coming weeks, heads will roll, and his will be the first.
See you on the backbenches Estonian Pete!
Bill20 Jul 2006 13:11
Hey Tim, your partisan leanings are obvious. I think I've seen you mix and mingle with the best of them at Liberal functions. Not that there's anything wrong with supporting Liberals. Some of my best friends are Whigs. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania need more boosters in the corridors of Parliament Hill. MPs visits serve this end and should be supported no matter what the party affiliation!
Tim25 Jul 2006 11:59
You mean Grits . . . not Whigs.

Sending a bottle of Canadian maple syrup to tour the Baltics would have been more effective than sending Van Loon. A wee bit of wakey-wakey: he was the former President of the PC party during the unification of the right.
Don't you wonder why he's sharing duties with Kenny and why he wasn't even made a member of the Privy Council?

Give it some thought and then come back.
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