The government has been criticised for its slow reaction to this disaster. As the magnitude of this Boxing Day disaster unfolded, the government increased its aid commitments accordingly; in that sense its response was appropriate and mirrored that of many other Western nations. One cannot expect the government to make full commitments without all the facts, especially in the confusion surrounding the early days of the crisis.

Where the Prime Minister and key ministers did drop the ball -including Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew and International Cooperation Minister Aileen Carroll - was in not coming back immediately from holidays abroad when the seriousness of the disaster became clear. Trying to react to the crisis by telephone and e-mail while outside the country is not leadership. Leadership is coming home immediately to be physically present to reassure Canadians that their government is on top of things. The seriousness of this disaster was evident by December 27th, the day after the tsunami hit, when it was known that 25-30,000 had died. Yet the Prime Minister did not return to Ottawa until January 1st, 6 days after the tragedy first struck. That is not evidence of an "ambitious agenda" to "take our place, meet our responsibilities, carry our weight" in the world- words taken right from the government’s Throne Speech of February 2nd, 2004.

What the long-term impact of this disaster will be on the region and on the world is not clear at this point. A disaster of this magnitude could lead to political instability in the region, and as we well know in a post-9/11 world, that political instability could have serious implications in the West, and on us right here in Canada.

In addition to basic compassion for fellow humanity, that is why this government needs to be on top of this file.