Remembering Nelson Mandela

It would have been fun to listen in on the conversation onboard the Canadian Forces plane carrying Harper, Mulroney, Chretien, et al to South Africa.  According to CTV, nobody from the Canadian delegation will be speaking at the memorial tomorrow and perhaps that is typical for a Canadian delegation.  I’m sure O has demanded top billing and will be prancing on the stage in an attempt to deflect attention from his dismal domestic record. 

Canadians can rest quietly assured that when it really mattered Brian Mulroney was at the forefront of the beginning of the end of apartheid.  Mulroney was underappreciated by Canadians at the time and only recently has his reputation been rehabilitated at home but Mandela knew full well who he was.  It was no accident that Mandela’s first foreign visit was to Canada.  I’m not sure why Kim Campbell thought she should be on the plane today – most Canadians couldn’t tell you who she was then or now.  Jean the Cretin granted Mandela honorary Canadian citizenship so that explains his presence but in order to fly with Harper he had to swallow his condemnation of the plane they flew on.  Mulroney bought the plane which the cretin referred to as a “flying Taj Mahal” and subsequently refused to use.  When he boarded it yesterday I hope he felt at least a little sheepish.  

Its pretty easy to figure out why “I’m Adrienne and You’re Not” was on the plane – because she’s Adrienne and we’re not.  Michaelle Jean was GG when Mandela visited Canada and I expect they actually had a pretty good time together despite the fact that he must have seemed like a grandfather to her.  I hope they made Tom Mulcair sit in the back of the plane and I still haven’t heard why the Shiny Pony wasn’t on the plane but perhaps he was getting paid to attend a fundraiser somewhere.

Also onboard were Liberal MP Irwin Cotler who worked on Mandela’s legal team while he was imprisoned and Alberta Premier Alison Redford, who helped South Africa set up their post-apartheid judiciary.  As Canadians we can all be justly proud of our role in Mandela’s South Africa even if we don’t get to share the podium with the poseurs tomorrow.