From The Australian, August 08, 2006, by AFP ...
MONTREAL: Prime Minister Stephen Harper has led a major change in Canadian foreign policy by fully supporting Israel in its conflict with Hezbollah, diplomats and observers say. After 13 years of Liberal Party rule in Canada, a minority Conservative Government led by Mr Harper took office in January and closely aligned itself with the US, especially concerning Middle East policy.
The alignment is in sharp contrast to the lead-up to the Iraq war, when then prime minister Jean Chretien fell out with George W.Bush over his strident opposition to the war. Mr Harper's Government "is voicing for the first time in many many years a clear-cut position toward the Middle East and toward fighting terrorism", said Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Ottawa. "That is definitely welcome by Israel."
Mr Harper has said Israel's military response to the abduction of two of its soldiers and repeated rocket attacks into Israel was "measured", while Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay has described Hezbollah as a "cancer". Canada supports the idea of an immediate ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, as long as the Lebanese Shia militia first return two kidnapped Israeli soldiers unharmed and stop rocket attacks on Israel....
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