Let’s review canada’s prosperity strategy

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland did not show the most diplomatic smarts by criticizing Saudi Arabia on social media regarding their human rights abuses.

What it did, though, was expose those abuses to the whole world. It also provided a chance to witness how far this regime is ready to go to try to intimidate international voices from publicly criticizing their human rights abuses.

As far as I am concerned, let them terminate diplomatic relations with us. Let them sell their assets in Canada and then, as your columnist Andrew Cohen rightly suggested, let us reclaim their embassy on Ottawa’s ceremonial route and reassign it to a country that respects human rights.

Let them repatriate their citizens studying in Canada, including all the Saudi medical residents; that way this will provide required residency positions to Canadian citizens waiting for such openings. Let those frustrated Saudi students get mad at their own authoritarian government regime. These repatriated students may become human rights allies and activists in their own country.

Let us use this imbroglio as an opportunity to review our future prosperity strategy. For instance, let’s implement measures that will help us to become more self reliant on our resources.

Perhaps one day we will thank the Saudis for having kicked us hard enough to convince all of us that commerce cannot trump (no pun intended) human rights activism. It may even become an opportunity to send the White House regime a clear message that we can be creative in protecting our future economic prosperity.

Ghislain St-Jacques, Ottawa