| I'm not Canadian and I know very little about its leader, but that doesn't stop non-US citizens from commenting about Bush and American politics so I will chime in here.
Why should a country's top official be expected at any conference being held in that country. Is the indignation because this is concerning AIDS? What if it were a cancer conference or a automobile safety symposium? Would his absence be remarkable then?
It seems to me that this is about AIDS having a special place in the minds of some, not about Mr. Harper's appearence scheduling. AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease that kills people. The only reason it is a political football is that it is linked with homosexuality. If you sever that link, it becomes a health issue just like smoking and cancer, or wearing your seat belt.
I wouldn't expect that anyone higher than the Mayor of Toronto would attend the opening ceremonies, give a 10 minute welcome to the city speech and go back to work. |