This week Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in Romania where he is meeting with the leaders of Canada’s NATO allies.

Today, Liberal leader Stéphane Dion is in Ottawa where he is meeting with members of the Liberal caucus.

Both jobs require diplomatic skill.

Backed by the bi-partisan Manley Report and a strong consensus Motion from the House of Commons on the mission, Prime Minister Harper is sending a strong message to our allies that although Canada remains committed to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, our NATO allies must also do their part.

Watching out for multiple leadership rivals amid a divided and disgruntled caucus, Mr. Dion must try to convince his Liberal colleagues that his pattern of threatening an election only to back down and support the policies of the Conservative Government will not further undermine his credibility as a leader.

These are the only two people who have a chance of becoming Prime Minister after the next election. Today the right choice for Canada has never been clearer.

Prime Minister Harper is playing a leading role on the world stage as NATO discusses its future role in Afghanistan. He sets priorities that are important to the hardworking families at home and he stands up for Canadians when abroad. He doesn’t need to convince anyone he’s a leader. His strong actions speak for themselves.

In contrast, Stéphane Dion is spending all of his time proclaiming how strong a leader he is, even though he refuses to take a stand on issues important to Canadians. At the same time Mr. Dion is forced to put out fires and squash criticism from members of his own party who are jockeying to dump and replace him.

This is the choice Canadians face: strong leadership at home and abroad with Prime Minister Harper and the Conservatives, or weak leadership, dithering and no priorities from Stéphane Dion and the Liberals.

Guy Lauzon, M.P.
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry