04.25.2016 03:51 PM

That is how a Prime Minister speaks

…when confronted with an act of profound evil:

“This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage.”

Trudeau said the Canadian government is committed to working with the Philippine government and international partners to “pursue those responsible for this heinous act and bring them to justice.”

19 Comments

  1. Carey Miller says:

    Finally. The response of the PM – or any other human being – should include controlled anger and a desire for vengeance. We recognize that sane heads will rule but emotionally, we expect our national leader to want to find those responsible and execute retribution.

  2. Pipes says:

    “I am outraged that Canadian citizen John Ridsdel, held hostage since September 21, 2015, has been killed at the hands of his captors,” Trudeau said, adding that Canada “condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage-takers.” Maybe we should have done something 7 months ago? Like, maybe, ah, go get them out of there.

    • Derek Pearce says:

      We’re going to have our helicopters sent over to the Philippines on a rented container ship and then use them to drop a JTF2 team into the uncharted jungle to rescue a few hostages? Cheaper to just pay the ransom by far…

    • Charlie K says:

      You’ve seen way to many Die Hard movies.

      Evidently, you have no idea what a situation like this entails and judging by your comment, it sounds as if you think they’ve been sitting on their asses for 7 months and doing nothing.

      If that it is in fact what you believe, you are woefully uneducated about the function of foreign relations and the coordination of resources and information between two nations.

      Which is sad because a 13 year old could understand the concept of “working behind the scenes”; but by your rationale, if it isn’t playing out on your TV screen on the 6 o’clock news, its not really happening.

  3. davie says:

    I have often heard the argument that paying the ransom just leads to more hostage taking.
    I suspect there are case when the ransom has been (quietly) paid.

    If we are going to work with the Philippine government, international partners, pursue those responsible, and bring them to justice,…and spend more than $8 million doing so, I would have a hard time justifying that to myself.

  4. Maps Onburt says:

    Nice to see he’s using the previously forbidden “terrorist” word. Maybe he’s growing into the job.

  5. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Warren,

    Human life once born is priceless. And that’s you should always pay ransom to win the hostage freedom. Some governments will pay openly and others through third parties. Those that are sanctimonious talk tough but only after the hostage is dead. If you aren’t prepared to act — and put your own forces on the line, then you have to pay.

    • Charlie K says:

      With that logic in mind, wouldn’t that provide kidnappers a guaranteed outcome knowing full well they could exploit the unwavering moral basis of society?

      No one would ever dispute the value of a human life, and anyone involved in hostage negotiations are first and foremost trying to prevent any loss of life. That said, the long term consequences of consistently yielding to kidnapper demands only perpetuates hostage-taking as a reliable source of income.

      I don’t know if you’ve seen Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks but that was a great film about this very issue. Somalian pirates have made it their sole occupation to hijack large vessels that pass through their waters and hold the crew and cargo hostage. Since there is utterly no source of income for Somalians, largely due to foreign fisher boats taking over their waters and starting fishing on such a large completely depletes the resource and not having a legitimate government in place to do a thing about it, young Somali men have resorted to pirating because governments and the large corporations whose ships are held at ransom consistently cave into the demands. Now its become a lucrative source of income that is more sustainable than traditional fishing; although, I should note that foreign nations have dramatically increased their naval presence in those waters in order to combat the problem. Nevertheless, its a situation in which the solution to a problem reinforces the inclination to repeat itself.

      • Tired of it All says:

        Ironically, the problem is guaranteeing the fishing rights of Somalis, not the predatory practices of those exploiting the chaos in that country. Yes, piracy needs to be stopped, and legitimate transit left alone; however addressing the larger problem of Somalia as a failed state is the only way to truly deal with this problem, among many others facing that country.

  6. Francis says:

    Cue Conservative praise:

    *Crickets Chirping*

    I guess its just easier to call the PM Trudeau a vapid, gaffe-prone, substance-less dilettante than acknowledge his ability to be statesmanlike.

    • Lyndon Dunkley says:

      I guess in a world where words speak louder than actions JT was very “statesmanlike”. I don’t know if anything could have been done in this very unfortunate situation but getting excited about a brief statement after the fact when it appears nothing was done in order to rescue the man in question is just further lowering of the bar.

      • Francis says:

        How do you know that “nothing was done” to rescue these hostages?

        Exactly what information are you basing your assertion that no action was being taken on the part of the Canadian government other than the “appearance” that you’ve pronounced as evidential?

        I’m looking forward to reading a thorough explanation on the intricacies of foreign relations based on your decades of experience and understanding as an authority directly involved in situations where the safety of Canadians abroad is concerned.

        Furthermore, perhaps you could provide an educated, detailed alternative to the process that currently exists in which you can guarantee an outcome other than the one we’ve seen transpire this week. One in which you can address the matter of state to state communications.

        I keenly await your intelligent response.

        • Lyndon Dunkley says:

          One man is dead and the other is still a hostage. In the absence of you or the government showing me something was or is being done, then I feel pretty safe in my assertion that “it APPEARS nothing was done”.

    • dean sherratt says:

      I must admit that some days after the killing I have not heard any politician from the Conservative bench attack the PM on the basis of any of the adjectives and nouns that you have listed in anticipation. One man is dead and another’s life must be hanging on a thread. The Opposition is being serious and quiet…two good virtues in a kidnapping case. The previous government also had to deal with some sensational kidnappings and imprisonments as well; Robert Fowler being a premier example. For its pains, from consular officer to Prime Minister, all the government got was criticism even from those who were freed so I would say that the current Prime Minister did well to win whatever plaudits he ended up getting.

  7. Aongasha says:

    Please, Wouldn’t all PMs speak like this? At least he finally brought himself to say the word terrorist and I’m assuming he won’t be studying the root causes of this murderous act? Time this boy got with the program and grew up. The world is not fake boxing matches in NY, posing for Selfies and making the cover of GQ magazine, no matter how much the metrosexuals and the little girl groupies scream. Governing is hard and this guy doesn’t seem to do ‘hard’ very well. It may be the silver spoon upbringing, but he’s got to get over that now. He’s there for the next 4 years at least and we need to be able to depend on him, like him or not. So far, he hasn’t given us much of that – more like leaning on a frail reed, than a strong shoulder.

  8. dean sherratt says:

    It actually sounds more like something that Stephen Harper would have said…its still an improvement over what Justin Trudeau might have thought before he was elected.

  9. dave says:

    Harper was roundly criticized by Trudeau for not doing enough on the Fahmy file.
    Governing is hard, get used to it Justin, it’s always easier across the floor as opposition.

Leave a Reply to dave Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.