Strong perspective from a Canadian lawyer living in the UAE...
Oh Canada, humility is a virtue
The landing rights spat comes at the expense of robust investments by UAE carriers that will create jobs
By Taha Tawawala, Special to Gulf News
The recent and evolving “spat” with the UAE focuses on the destructive course of action pursued by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government at the expense of the interests of the vast majority of Canadians. This spat illuminates the Harper government position with respect to the value it places on the UAE and Arab world, corrodes decades of positive goodwill built up by Canada in the international arena, and damages existing and potential trade ties with important trading partners in a region bursting with opportunity.
Since the First World War Canada positively contributed to international relations and developed a reputation as a nation with admirable qualities and a sense of justice, fairness and a role for the betterment of the world. Harper has swept most of this goodwill away in four short years.
The UAE-Canada dispute regarding landing rights in Canada for UAE airliners and its continuing fallout crystallises the audacity of Harper’s attack on Canada’s past ideals and future prospects internationally.
As indicated in recent media reports, the UAE’s national carriers, Emirates and Etihad, have been engaged in negotiations for five years with the Canadian government for additional landing rights (At present each carrier has three flights per week to Toronto). Since 2001 or so, the UAE has provided a military base for Canada to support its efforts in Afghanistan and has evolved into Canada’s largest trading partner in the region — according to Bloomberg.com.
“The UAE is the largest trade partner with Canada in the Middle East and North Africa, with more than $1.5 billion (Dh5.5 billion) of business in 2008”.
Furthermore, the vast majority of such trade is Canadian exports to the UAE — that is to say, the UAE is running a fairly significant trade deficit with Canada and, by doing so, putting more jobs on the ground in Canada and expanding the scope for Canadian business in this region.
Since its carriers started flying directly to Canada, the UAE has enthusiastically expressed greater willingness to expand and encourage commercial and cultural ties, and has become socially engaged with Canadians at all levels.
The Harper government’s position with respect to negotiations with the UAE was essentially to stall, frustrate and ignore the UAE’s requests for expanding the aviation relationship. This negotiating posture took place despite the fact that, according to The Economist, “such an expansion could potentially create 2,800 jobs across Canada and generate up to $480 million in additional economic activity [and] the premiers of Ontario, Alberta and BC support the proposal.”
Clearly competition to Air Canada and greater access for Canadians to a growing region would inevitably lead to greater benefits for all, especially Canadian businesses and consumers.
For five years the UAE was patiently negotiating with the Canadian government. However, the counter offers for landing rights were so pathetic that it was deemed insulting to the UAE.
Harper forgot that the UAE had provided Canada with a base for nine years with no compensation, the UAE had encouraged its citizens to go to Canada for post-secondary education and pay the international fees and costs related thereto, and the UAE was ready, willing and able to invest vast quantities of money to push trade between the countries forward.
Disdain for even diplomats
Most of all, Harper forgot, or did not care, that the UAE and other emerging nations like it have pride and self respect and don’t want to be “taken for a ride”. Humility is not a value that the Harper government seems to promote as is demonstrated by the disdain with which it treated the UAE’s requests and its diplomatic staff, including the UAE Ambassador to Canada without the general courtesies reserved for diplomatic staff.
The Harper government is willing to protect Air Canada from a marginal effect on its business to maintain the status quo, at the expense of robust and energetic investments by the UAE carriers, which would create a multitude of new jobs, opportunities and options for consumers.
I am a Canadian, born and raised. For over three years I have lived in Dubai and seen the potential in this region. I have learned that the world is bigger, more vibrant and dynamic and the opportunities immense, not just in the UAE — but the whole of the Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
It seems reasonable for the Canadian government to encourage its citizens and businesses to reach out to this region and build commercial, political and social ties — not to limit or restrict the development of such ties over as petty an issue as expanded landing rights.
Canada itself, especially the bigger cities, is a multicultural hub with many people still connected to their roots in these Asian regions (for example, Lebanon, India, Pakistan and Iran). It would be beneficial for the Canadian government to exploit the advantages afforded by the diversity of its citizenry and capitalise on the prospects related to such peoples’ connections with their home regions.
Stephen Harper’s world is limited by his vision. Air Canada’s business is protected by its connections. At the end of the day, if Harper doesn’t accommodate the reasonable requests of the UAE, the average Canadian will lose out on golden opportunities in this region.
People will respect you more Harper if you acknowledge you made a mistake and extend the hand of friendship again to the people of the UAE.
Taha Tawawala is a Canadian lawyer based in the UAE.
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and pissed that he might move and leave me here 
my best friend gone 
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