Dubai-based newspaper says "Canada has lost its way"

An editorial in the Dubai-based Gulf News claims "Canada has lost its way under Harper." Purporting to explain why the UAE had imposed visas on visiting Canadians, the newspaper argues Canada just hasn’t been the same since the Conservatives took power. "Ever since Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his right-wing Conservative government came to power, the veneer of civility has slipped," it reads. "Politics in Ottawa has become polarised — it is Harper’s way or the highway." According to the paper’s editors, this shift is most noticeable in its staunchly pro-Israel stance on matters involving the Middle East, its eager participation in the war on terror, and, perhaps most important to UAE readers, its protectionist approach to trade. "Where companies were independent, they are now subsidised and granted preferential treatment, as is the case with Air Canada."

Gulf News