Harper met with the Dalai Lama on one of the spiritual leader's previous visits to Canada, in October, 2007, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese Embassy. The Conservatives have huge trade ambitions with China, which considers the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist. But several Tory caucus members were on hand to lend support to the Tibetan cause, including Sen. Consiglio Di Nino, who heads the Canadian parliament’s Friends of Tibet group.
The Dalai Lama is one of the most beloved people of our era. His beaming smile, his honesty, his self-deprecating humour, his giggles as well as his simple life and philosophy are a blessing to all who are ever in his presence. Once, many years ago, i was lucky enough to attend one of his lectures at UBC in Vancouver. His talk that night centered on kindness. His words and his grace changed my life for the better and live within me to this day.
The Mud Report has been very critical of Harper and his Conservative government's policies on many occasions, but in this case mr. mud wants to give credit where credit is due. The Harper government is, in this case, not acting solely in the best interests of his corporate, banking and oil interst friends. In fact this move will surely draw the ire of China's leadership and could well lead a cooling of relations, including trade relations, between Beijing and Ottawa. My congratulations to Stephen Harper and his government, on this issue he and they have stood for the greater good, stood for principle and stood against totalitarianism.
