Kilgour’s retirement means Darfur loses a voice on the Hill

Dec 14, 2005 (ALBERTA, Canada) — If David Kilgour’s politics and stance on issues can be judged by the mementos that adorn his office in Parliament Hill’s East Block, then one can get a pretty good idea about the outgoing Alberta MP.

There’s the plaque–a human rights award from B’nai Brith recognizing his efforts in advocating the immigration of Jews from the U.S.S.R to Canada in 1984. There’s the Msaryk award from the former Czechoslovakia Association of Canada honouring him “for supporting the cause of a free Czechoslovakia” in 1991. Then there are pictures of the people he admires: Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln and Rev. Laszlo Tokes, the man who inspired the 1989 revolution that brought down the Ceausescu regime and the end of Communism in Romania.

But one memento, a wooden carving from Rwanda, is special to Mr. Kilgour. The carving is broken from top to bottom, the jarred edges splitting it into two halves. It’s a present from an acquaintance who picked it up near the airport in Kigali, Rwanda, just after the genocide in 1994. Mr. Kilgour has never bothered to have the carving glued together.

“I keep it as a reminder of the evil of genocide,” he says. “The people who made the carving died in the genocide.”

After 26 years on the Hill, Mr. Kilgour has announced he will not be seeking office in the general elections on Jan. 23. During his time in the House, Mr. Kilgour has been quite prolific on the Canadian political scene. Whether it’s advocating the concerns of Western Canadians or facilitating the formation of a Congolese association in Canada, Mr. Kilgour is at home with all kinds of issues, a fact that perhaps has led him to be elected for seven consecutive terms. But as he exits politics, observers are wondering whether some of the issues he’s stood for will lose a voice on the Canadian political landscape.

One issue he’s become known for in the last two years is the situation in Darfur, where accusations of genocide have surfaced against the Sudanese government. On the home front, Mr. Kilgour has been vocal in condemning what he sees as Canada’s reluctance to act seriously on the Darfur situation. On May 19, when a vote was brought to the House on the Liberal-NDP budget, Mr. Kilgour became an unlikely power broker when he thrust forth the Darfur issue by hinting he will vote against the government if it didn’t increase aid money for the region–a fact that prompted sections of the Canadian media to dub him “Kilgour of Darfur.” His disappointment with the Liberal Party’s stance on this issue was part of the reason he quit the party in April, 2005 to sit as an Independent MP.

“The Prime Minister has a week to prove he cares more about the people of Sudan,” he told CBC news a week before the crucial vote.

The minority Liberal government, eager to secure his vote, announced $170 million in aid and 100 troops for Darfur. But that didn’t prevent Mr. Kilgour from voting against the Liberals. Only the Speaker’s vote saved the government that day.

Looking back, Mr. Kilgour says Canada was well placed to take leadership on Darfur. He says had the Liberals wanted, it would have been possible to secure NATO intervention in association with the African Union.

“But Mr. Martin blew it,” he says. ” He dropped the ball– he didn’t show leadership on this issue. We could have learnt from East Timor, Kosovo and Bosnia. We just botched it up.”

Mr. Kilgour says Canada’s role in Darfur is too little too late and the situation hasn’t improved, arguing that despite the many different opinions on what is taking place in Darfur, he still thinks it’s a genocide. But not only is Mr. Kilgour passionate about Darfur, he is also well informed about the situation there.

“Do you know that Sudan is going to head the African Union next year? Imagine that: the perpetrator is going to protect the victim. We are really going to have a nightmare scenario,” he says.

He believes there’s still room for Canada to redeem itself and abandon what he calls the “we don’t do Africa” mentality at Foreign Affairs Canada. He also called for an increase in foreign aid to 0.7 per cent of the GDP instead of the current 0.37 per cent. Mr. Kilgour says he will continue advocating the Darfur cause outside parliament.

Eric Reeves, an expert on Sudan who has campaigned against the Sudanese government’s policies in south Sudan and Darfur, calls Mr. Kilgour’s exit from politics a “terrible loss for the Canadian conscience.”

“In various roles, even when he was in government, we had a tremendously powerful voice for Sudan. Canada should be proud to have politicians who put principle before politics and David Kilgour was that man,” he says.

Justin Laku of the Canadian Friends of Sudan says he hopes other politicians will pick up the momentum Mr. Kilgour initiated. “We should not lose hope,” he says, adding that he is sure Mr. Kilgour will still be a voice for Darfur.

Gamal Adam, who until May of this year was president of the Darfur Association of Canada, says Mr. Kilgour was the only politician who had contact with Darfurians in Canada. “It is very sad,” he says of Mr. Kilgour’s decision not to run again. He expressed hope that Mr. Kilgour will continue highlighting the human rights situation in Darfur.

Currently, two rebel groups from Darfur are talking peace with the Sudanese government in Nigeria. Mr. Kilgour is skeptical of the talks, arguing that Khartoum has no intention of honouring any deal. He pointed out that the Sudan government is already violating a recent pact with rebels in the south.

“Peace is a smokescreen to get naïve governments like the U.S to believe they [Sudanese government] are serious in reaching a deal,” says Mr. Kilgour.

Mr. Adam agrees with Mr. Kilgour. He argues that the Arab dominated government in Sudan considers the Fur people of Darfur inferior and will not respect any deal with the rebels. “The policy of the government is to eliminate anyone who doesn’t trace his roots to the Arabian Peninsula,” he says.

Perhaps like the broken pieces of Mr. Kilgour’s wood curving, the formula to bring the warring parties in Darfur together is yet to be applied. [email protected]