On the 8th, I went with my good buddy Phil to the Watermark Restaurant at Kits Beach to see Senator Roméo Dallaire (commander of the UN mission to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide) and Hon. Stephen Owen (MP for Vancouver Quadra) discuss Canada’s place in the world.
It was a very interesting discussion. Essentially, Sen. Dallaire believes that Canada can and should take a much stronger position in international affairs than it currently does. That is he believes, as a country, we are much less involved in helping other countries than we should be.
I’ll not bother trying to explain this, because I’d take about 10,000 words trying to explain what Dallaire and Owen said. However, I would encourage anyone to listen to Sen. Dallaire speak if you get the chance. He’s coming to UBC in March, and I may well go to that.
During the discussion, a cameraman/interviewer came and spoke with one of the organisers and arranged to hold a quick interview outside the restaurant immediately after the discussion. Sen. Dallaire seemed quite willing, despite having to be on a plane to Victoria at noon.