by Sid Ryan
Thanks to decades of right wing anti-Cuba propaganda, some politicians on the left run for cover when asked for an opinion on the legacy of Fidel Castro, who passed away on November 25.
The latest shameful example comes courtesy of interim New Democratic Party Leader Tom Mulcair, who tweeted the following: “Upon the passing of Fidel Castro let us think of the lives impacted by his actions and be hopeful for the future of the Cuban people”.
Is it any wonder that Justin Trudeau ate the NDP’s lunch during the 2015 federal election, and continues to dine at the party’s dessert table?
The Liberal Party statement on Castro’s departure reads, in part: “Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation”.
Just look at the difference in tone and content between the two statements. One is bland, without clear meaning, and too clever by half.
The other is carefully crafted to appeal to people on the left side of the political spectrum — which happens to be a majority of the population of Canada and the world. Trudeau could care less what Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rona Ambrose, Kellie Leitch, or right wing social media trolls say about his mildly pro-Castro statement. He just proceeded to outflank the NDP, yet again.
Scores of world leaders flocked to Cuba for Castro’s funeral, sharing in the outpouring of genuine grief from millions of ordinary Cubans, in stark contrast to the malign picture painted by the North American media.
Meanwhile, Tom Mulcair and most of his parliamentary caucus were hunkered down in Ottawa under a cone of silence.
Hundreds of thousands of NDP voters have toured revolutionary Cuba, marveled at its achievements, and were humbled by its selfless generosity to poor, sick, illiterate and disaster-afflicted peoples around the world. Just imagine what NDPers must think about Mulcair’s insipid comment on the subject of Castro and Cuba?