Mel’s Crystal Ball

Relax. Mel Hurtig’s shocking truth is fairly familiar by now. According to the former book publisher and passionate nationalist, Paul Martin’s Liberals may not admit it, but if cozy relations with George Bush demand it, Canada will sign up with U.S. missile defence and may even have done so. Moreover, missile defence is not merely a multi-billion dollar scheme to save Seattle from Kim Jong-Il’s latest “dong.” Instead, it is a death-dealing scheme by Bush and defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld to post nuclear-armed missiles in outer space in order to let Washington impose its will anywhere in the world with relative impunity. Other nations, notably China and Russia—and who would call North Korea a superpower?—may respond in kind. Any arms reduction and disarmament perceptible since the Cold War will dissolve. Since, by accident or malignant purpose, nuclear weapons in space will sooner or later go off, Canadians will suffer, just because a gutless government wanted to curry...