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Earlier, we reported on a Candian MP’s private member’s motion on the human rights situation in North Korea. More recently, Canada has continued to roll.
The Canadian navy participated in the investigatory team that reached the conclusion that the Cheonan had been sunk by a torpedo; their take and a variety of other materials can be found on a Canadian Naval Review posting. The Tories promised heightened sanctions against North Korea for the incident, and CBC now reports that those sanctions will go into effect this Friday.
The sanctions do not rule out humanitarian assistance; Canada has committed $2.5 million to the current WFP appeal. But they ban all private exports, imports, investment and provision of financial services, although not remittances.
Reuters reports that bilateral trade is just C$12.4 million ($12.7 million), so the measures are largely symbolic. But sometimes symbolic is good. The measure follows on the heels of a symbolic action we heartily endorse: Canada’s decision last month to boycott the UN Disarmament Committee.
We appreciate the constraints of multilateral diplomacy, but sometimes a breath of fresh air does a world of good. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s statement to journalists at the time of the announcement is worth quoting:
"North Korea is simply not a credible chair at this United Nations body. The regime is a major proliferator of nuclear weapons and its non-compliance with its disarmament obligations goes against the fundamental principle of this committee. North Korea's chairmanship undermines the integrity of both the disarmament framework and of the United Nations..."
Thanks, Canada.
