Writing in the Globe and Mail, Canadian Senator Hugh Segal has applauded Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision not to attend the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, stating it would legitimise ‘a multitude of sins’.

Segal is Canada’s Special Envoy to the Commonwealth and the Canadian representative on the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group.

Extracts from his piece have been reproduced below. Read the full piece here.

"As he pointed out, this was not an easy decision. Canada was one of the founding nations of the Commonwealth. All governments know and understand that there is a certain diplomatic simplicity in “going along to get along.” No confrontation, no hard feelings. But on this issue, the Commonwealth has sadly taken the path of least resistance. This is no credit to the Secretary General, the Commonwealth Secretariat or the member countries."

"I went to Sri Lanka as a fact finder for our foreign minister in April of this year. I saw wonderful new highways and buildings in Colombo that would rival those in Toronto. I also saw the bullet holes above the sofa in the office of the editor of a Tamil language newspaper in Jaffna. Days after we visited the paper, its offices were trashed and employees beaten. I met with individuals in displacement camps who had been there for years with no hope of returning home because their land had been appropriated to build housing for military families. I saw soldiers walk in as we walked out to “chat” with those who spoke to us. We were followed wherever we went and had to “lose” our escorts in order to speak to people who were afraid for their lives. Christian, Muslim and Tamil leaders all spoke of persecution and intimidation. There was scant if any evidence of any reconciliation or efforts of any accountability"

"No country is perfect, but the Commonwealth of Nations holds together because member countries strive to uphold the values and principles of democracy, rule of law, good governance, human rights, judicial independence and freedom of the press. For the Commonwealth of Nations to bestow the honour on Sri Lanka of hosting CHOGM and presiding over the organization as its chair for two years legitimizes a multitude of sins and is the surest way to weaken the Commonwealth and bring its credibility into serious disrepute."

"The way to strengthen the Commonwealth is not to look the other way and ignore reality but to face it straight up and act accordingly."