Paul Martin’s speech at UN conference
In the initial phase of election campaign, while the opposition parties talked about policies, Paul Martin resorted to patriotic rhetoric. On the surface, Martin seemed to just focus on bashing the Americans. But that was only part of Martin’ plan.
On December 7, just a week into the election campaign, Paul Martin had this to say at a news conference at UN Climate Change Conference in Montreal: “To the reticent nations, including the United States, I’d say there is such a thing as a global conscience …”
Martin’s words revealed that he had more than United States in mind. Curious audience must have been wondering: What were the other nations that Martin was trying to bring in for a spat? The answer was China.
(Incredibly, US ambassador David Wilkins repeatedly fell into Martin’s trap and willingly became his punch bag. Even the White House reacted by scolding Martin with “cheap electioneering”.)
Martin’s words were widely reported during the campaign. The reason, I guess, is that a lot of people found Martin’s choice of words "striking". But I knew he was cracking nuts.
- “Conscience” was a word I repeatedly emphasized in my “private” emails soliciting help at the grassroots level in early 2005.
- Another word “reticent” also struck me because I first learned it when my English teacher during my SFU days used it in the written assessment of my classroom performance.
