Canada in the crosshairs

Following the well-documented takeover of several Con nominations by Focus on the Family, another all-too-well-known U.S. pressure group is making its presence felt in the Canadian election:

The National Rifle Association, arguably the most powerful lobby group in the United States, has been enlisted to help shore up the influence of the Canadian gun lobby during the federal election campaign — something opponents say smacks of foreign interference and is indicative of the NRA's widening influence around the globe.

Glen Caroline, director of the NRA's grassroots division, is a keynote speaker and is giving a seminar today in Scarborough at the general meeting of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, an umbrella organization of recreational firearms groups...

While the association hasn't officially endorsed a party, it likely will this weekend.

And anybody in doubt as to which party will win that endorsement really hasn't been paying enough attention. But like the Focus on the Family story, the NRA's effort to push its position in Canada could well lead to a backlash - particularly if, as expected, its endorsement results in even more obvious U.S. influence over a party pretending to want to "Stand Up for Canada".

Lest that be taken as reason to favour the Liberals, not so - particularly given the Libs' ineffectiveness in dealing with gun violence. The only way to cut back on the influence of U.S. pressure groups is to make sure that the Cons know that foreign involvement will be seen as a liability. And that means not only leaving the Cons short of power this time out, but also replacing them with a genuine Canadian opposition.