Former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien said in an open letter that Stephen Harper “has shamed Canada”. The letter, published in the Globe and Mail, La Presse, and Le Devoir, expresses his opinion that Harper’s response to the Syrian and Iraqi refugee crisis have made Canada appear to be a “cold-hearted” nation.
“In my travels around the globe, I am regularly asked: What has happened to Canada? What has happened to the advanced, peace-seeking, progressive country Canada once was? What has happened to the country that was a model for peace and stability in a tumultuous world? These questions evoke great sadness in me,” Chrétien wrote.
He implored Canadians to “choose a government in line with our great tradition of peace-building, initiated by Mr. Pearson and promoted by all of his successors until the arrival of the Harper administration.
“Let’s take back our place in the world.”