Canada's Newspeak Government

In James Travers' column today we learn that one of the forces impelling Harpers' foreign policy (which, incidentally, was a topic he hardly mentioned on the campaign trail) is a foreign policy book by some guy named Roy Rempel.

Travers describes Rempel's argument thusly:

"Rempel's assumption, shaped by compelling facts about Canada's deteriorated defence, development and diplomatic infrastructure and undermined by his less convincing analysis of Ottawa's foreign policy options, is that this country is in danger of becoming a de facto U.S. protectorate. His answer is not for Ottawa to distance itself from Washington but to move ever closer."

So, in order to have foreign policy independence, Canada needs to be in lock-step with Washington? Canadian conservatives have for the most part (aside from having a strong monarchist streak in some quarters) wanted Canada to act a lot more like the US for a long time. It's pretty convenient that they found someone to justify it by saying that our options are to be dependent on the US or align ourselves with the US completely.

Fealty to the US is an independent foreign policy! Freedom is slavery!