Harper's screwup with Mexico

I feel compelled to comment on the Harper government’s imposition of prior visas for all visitors from Mexico. It is extremely ham-fisted, and in line with other aspects of its handling of foreign affairs (for example, it has screwed up relations with China royally). Mexicans now have to go to Mexico City to get visas to Canada; for some reason, the consulate here in Guadalajara is not being used. In spite of pretty harsh screening procedures for Mexicans at American entry points, the Americans have not done anything as draconian as Canada. Such procedures are usually adopted only by authoritarian regimes and police states. The government claims to want good relations , trade and economic interchanges with Mexico, but is now enraging vast numbers of Mexicans.

Of course, the current system for handling refugee claimants needs to be reformed; it is a hopeless muddle with bogus claimants clogging and taking advantage of the system. A huge backlog and opportunities for endless appeals mean that cases drag on for years. Many Conservative Party supporters want to vastly reduce or even eliminate acceptance of refugees on humanitarian grounds. Harper and his colleagues know that that is not acceptable to the majority of Canadians. Instead of trying to fix the real problem, this policy simply inconveniences vast numbers of people who would not be part of the problem in any case. The policy probably will slow down the numbers of those who would abuse the system, but won’t end the problem. However, Harper doesn’t care about alienating Mexicans or sullying Canada’s reputation abroad when his government’s actions appeal to the Conservative Party’s ‘nativist’ supporters. Harper focuses on nothing but narrow, short-term political considerations.

Harper is now here in Guadalajara for the NAFTA leaders meeting with Abama and Calderon. He might as well have stayed home for all the good he can do for Canada here at the moment.