Goldcorp CEO urges PM to support US attack

In a public letter to Prime Minister Jean Chrtien, Rob McEwen, chairman of Goldcorp (G-T), says Canada should be more involved in the effort to remove Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The letter, copied to United States President George Bush, Parliamentary opposition leader Stephen Harper, and to the Canadian and U.S. ambassadors in Washington and Ottawa, calls on Chrtien to renounce his opposition to the invasion of Iraq and to offer Canadian help to institute democratic government in Iraq.

Chrtien recently told the House of Commons that the country would not participate in an invasion of Iraq without an additional resolution from the United Nations Security Council. Countries participating in the invasion have insisted they are doing so under the authority of the Council’s Resolution 1441, passed in early November, the 17th resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq.

U.S. military planners had informally requested Canada send an armoured-reconnaissance regiment to Iraq, but plans to send about 2,000 ground troops to Afghanistan for security and counter-insurgency tasks meant Canada could not contribute troops in any event. Chrtien has since equivocated on whether the government supported U.S.-led action in the Persian Gulf.

Hon. Jean Chrtien, Prime Minister of Canada

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington St., Ottawa, Canada

Dear Prime Minister:

The dream of peace, democracy and civil rights in the Middle East, ever so elusive, has never been closer. You and all Canadians have a responsibility to help shape this dream. To make this vision a reality, the dictator Saddam Hussein must go. Now!

Your opposition to the U.S.-led coalition guarantees Canada no role in shaping the future of this region. It will also transform our once longest border in the world into a formidable barrier to trade, capital, travel and friendship with our largest trading partner. The cost to all Canadians will be significant.

The opportunity to support the U.S. initiative must be seized today, before it starts. Call President Bush, tell him you and Canada support his plan. Offer Canada’s diplomatic skills in shaping the renewal and growth of this region.

Yours truly,

Robert McEwen, Chairman and CEO

Goldcorp

cc: George W. Bush, Michael Kergin, Paul Cellucci, Stephen Harper