The Arctic will still be there in a week, the Conference won't

I know Stephen Harper's absence at the AIDS Conference has been on many blogs, but I'm struck by just how ashamed I am by this decision. I watched CBC this morning, and saw the Grandmothers Fighting AIDS assembly. These are women who have lost their children and now are raising their grandchildren. These are women in their 60's and 70's, with little or no means of support, most of them are widowed or have been abandoned by their spouses, responsible for the upbringing of the next generation. Schooling, uniforms, books, medicine, doctors...all these necessary things have costs associated with them, so it is with awe, that I watched these strong women, simply say , we must do it, so we do.

Given their struggle, their strength and dedication to this cause, (and of course they are only one aspect of the AIDS scourge), I do not care how you cut it, there is NO excuse, NONE, for our Prime Minister not to be there.

This latest inaction by the PM has me realising, that the pride I have always felt for Canada's actions and place in the world, is slowly being eroded.

I heard this interview this morning, after seeing the grandmothers and it further confirmed my feelings.

But what really got me was this interview with Tony Clement. Talk about saying a lot of nothing and basically inferring that it's not that bad because we're not the only country in this situation! Where's the leadership? I guess if you can't blame the Liberal's, blame the rest of the world too.

Clement -The second objective is that this conference is a large international conference, and if we can continue to move the agenda forward, in both the research that is being done - because this is a conference of scientists and as well as activists - and in terms of the continuing work we have to do together to collaborate on the treatment and the care and the prevention, then I think we will have achieved something.

So we are very much a multi-lateral player, and I would have to say that Canadians don't like blowing their own horn, but I've seen it in international forums that we are respected. Our point of view is taken very seriously because our activity is over the last 20 years on this file.

Yeah, that was then...

I would say that I've never been so ashamed of our position, but maybe I was the day this Government was elected into office.

Update:
I just heard that McGuinty will be speaking at the opening ceremony, good. I wish one of the Leadership Candidates was also going to be there.