We believe in spending your money on departments whose focus is the encouragement of illusion over reality. That is all.

Where to begin with such a malodorous concept?  Starting with irony is always good, so… for instance how about the blinding irony of  the Conservatives dedication to ‘austerity and smaller government’?  How this equates with creating nebulous departments with equally nebulous goals defies rational comprehension.

“It was a Conservative campaign promise meant to promote religious freedom worldwide.

The promise, the Tories said, was to give a Canadian foreign policy focus to oppressed religious minorities in places such as Egypt, Pakistan, China and Iran.”

Well, it sorta sounds good, but how does this mission statement jive with the rest of Canada’s foreign policy?

“Last month, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird called freedom of religion a linchpin of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedom and Bill of Rights. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has also touted the new office, hoping Canada would step forward as a major champion of international religious rights.

At an hour-long interfaith meeting in Toronto on Wednesday, participants Abdul Hai Patel, of the Canadian Council of Imams, and Rev. Bhante Saranpala, of the West-End Buddhist Cultural Centre, said Baird noted the “office doesn’t have any teeth.”

But Baird spokesperson Joseph Lavoie said the minister was referring to the office’s legislative influence around the world.

“At the end of the day, we can’t force another government to do anything,” Baird said in a later interview.”

Oh, so we  are going to set up a government bureaucracy to send guilt-inducing notes to other countries tell them about how to run their countries, fantastic.  Of course, the amazing rate of failure will be promptly ignored by the Conservative powers that be because as always, ideological concerns always trump science and empirical evidence.

“the new entity — which will cost $5 million, employ five and, Lavoie said, launch in early 2012 — has rankled a number of Canadian religious organizations, human rights groups and academics, who remain unsure of what it hopes to achieve and whose interests it will serve”

Well, with no tangible goals, its impossible to get a bad evaluation.  Win!! 

““It could be argued that a secular government is well-positioned to (promote religious freedom abroad) because it doesn’t have a vested interested in any particular community,” said Tamas, who attended the October consultation. Baha’is face persecution in a number of Muslim countries, including Iran.”

Just out of the goodness of our hearts.  Wowzers! It certainly couldn’t be a sweetheart nod to the deluded Conservative base here in Canada, nope nope nope no irrelevant agency adding mindless persiflage to our foreign policy.  The ORF will make a difference.

“MacDonald points to Harper’s trip to China next month. While Harper has criticized China’s commitment to human rights in the past, the country remains one of Canada’s largest trading partners, with $13.2 billion in exports and $44.5 billion in imports in 2010.

MacDonald said it is “absolutely inconceivable” that the Tories will speak out against China’s well-documented persecution of Christians and the Falun Gong. In October, Baird voiced support for China’s Christians and Falun Gong, as well as its oppressed Tibetans and Uyghurs”.

Err…