Courage -- and a passion for what's right

I couldn’t agree more with Peter Worthington. David Kilgour is one of the most deserving candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize. Here is why.

Courage -- and a passion for what's right

Toronto Sun: February 25, 2007 - Sun If there's one Canadian who is deserving of consideration for a Nobel Peace Prize, that person is David Kilgour, once the longest reigning MP in Canada (26 years - 1979-2006) who has never compromised his principles.

It's hard for anyone -- especially a politician -- to put principles ahead of compromise, and boast (which is not Kilgour's nature) that on issues he considers important, he's been the Rock of Gibraltar.

But that's David Kilgour, who at age 66, retains a boyish passion for what is right, and the courage to put his body on the line. Commendable as that characteristic may be, it's insufficient to warrant consideration for the Peace Prize.

Twice in his political career as an MP (and cabinet minister) from Edmonton, he quit his party over principles -- the Tories when they brought in the hated GST, the Liberals for the sponsorship scandal. But it's forlorn human rights causes that make Kilgour special -- the Jiminy Cricket of international abuses.

It's easy to deplore abuses that go on in, say, Darfur, China, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, etc. Kilgour does something about them. George Bush, Britain's Tony Blair, the UN's ineffectual former Secretary

General Kofi Annan, all repeatedly insist Darfur must not become another Rwanda. Yet little is done. Words versus deeds.

Kilgour has gone to Darfur, and pricks the conscience of the world by reminding those who aren't anxious to be reminded. Along with Winnipeg civil rights lawyer David Matas, Kilgour has sought to shame every government into action.

The civilized world prefers talk to action.

Some 7,000 "peacekeeping" troops from the hopeless African Union do nothing to curb violence in Darfur.

Until Sudan's Khartoum government is brought to heel, genocide will thrive. And everyone knows it. To their shame, countries like Jordan and Egypt, support Sudan's homicidal Islamic regime of President Omar el-Bashir, who only accepts African "troops" in his country.

In Canada, Jack Layton would like Canadian troops moved out of Afghanistan and into Darfur -- nonsense, but the flavour of the moment.

Even more significant than Darfur, Kilgour has taken on China, which has been accused (with powerful evidence) of imprisoning Falun Gong supporters and harvesting their organs for sale to rich and desperate transplant recipients. The Chinese admit selling

organs of death row criminals, but denies taking the organs of Falun Gong believers - a benign philosophy of meditation, humanity, generosity whose popularity is growing faster then the Communist party's, hence Beijing's hatred.

Almost single-handedly Kilgour has brought China's organ "harvesting" scandal to the developed world's attention. Even the European Parliament is outraged.

Kilgour urges international pressure brought on China over the coming Olympic Games as a way to get Beijing to moderate its tyranny.

Kilgour supports Burma's (Myanmar) gallant Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyl's opposition to the country's military regime. He argues that a nine day "tourist" visit of Canadian lawyers helps the dictatorial regime. While I'd argue that any "foreign" eyes allowed inside Myanmar are better than nothing, it's hard to disguise tyranny.

MORE THAN A STAND

In these and other issues, Kilgour takes more than a stand -- he visits abusive regimes, investigates and brings findings to the attention of the world. Visit his web site and see for yourself: http://www.david-kilgour.com/ .

A great-nephew of John McCrae, author of In Flanders Fields, the great World War I poem that has left its mark on all generations that went to war, David Kilgour is a modern Don Quixote challenging all dragons -- his heart always pure, his intentions always noble, his successes more than he may realize.