Aung San Suu Kyi, Canadian

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I don't much care for the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but it's here to stay, for the time being, and its first post-Throne Speech action was a good one:

Aung San Suu Kyi will be granted honorary Canadian citizenship to recognize her efforts to promote peace and democracy in [Burma].

Sure, it's symbolic, and largely meaningless (meaning: nothing will come of it -- concrete international action is needed), but it's a nonetheless a noble and worthy gesture of support both for a great woman and for the pro-democracy movement of which she is a leading figure.

Many of Harper's other actions have been manipulative and cynical, notably everything he's done on the environment file, and whenever he's played the support-the-troops patriotism card (flag-waving doesn't go over as well here in Canada as it does in, say, the U.S.). This one, however, should be applauded.

As long as, however symbolic, it is not empty.