Yeaaaayyy Bono!
I had to come out of fym retirement to post this.
World needs more Canada, Bono says
TORONTO STAR
DAVID BRUSER
STAFF REPORTER
U2 frontman Bono pumped up the volume on Paul Martin's ascension to Canada's top office last night, urging the former finance minister and all Canadians to lead the fight against poverty and AIDS in developing nations.
"I believe the world needs more Canada," he said to the roar of the crowd. "Can any one country make a difference? Yes, Canada can. Canada already has. And Mr. Martin is the man to do it.
"Then Canada, Oh Canada, will show the world."
Bono, who said he was "niced to death" at the airport yesterday, said he's learned from this country's culture and values.
"I'm a fan of Canada. I met Canada through the holy voices of Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, The Band," he said to the crowd at the Air Canada Centre. "I'm a fan because a certain kind of idealism still seems to be alive in this country. You always look outside yourself beyond the line of the horizon.
"You're not so self-obsessed, and this is coming from a rock star, so believe me, I know self-obsessed. I see it in the mirror," he quipped.
Bono, 43, who has joined forces with Martin in the past with efforts to help the developing world, delivered an impassioned 15-minute talk laced with wit and heart-rending anecdotes before thousands of riled-up Liberals in town for the party's convention.
The Irish megastar, whose real name is Paul Hewson, pleaded shyness and inexperience at such political events but showed facility at the podium, offering a healthy dose of self-deprecation.
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`Can any one country make a difference? Yes, Canada can ... And Mr. Martin is the man to do it'
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"If you're wondering what I'm doing here, that's okay because so am I," he said. "Rock star with a conscience? Give me a break...
"I know the job of a rock star is to do unconventional things, so I am quite surprised to find myself at a convention. But you know what they say about politics? It makes for strange bedfellows..."
Bono thanked Martin for inviting him to Toronto, but promised to be a thorn in his side in the coming years.
"I'm here for Paul Martin. I am honoured. So how am I going to return Paul Martin's favour? I'm going to be the biggest pain in his ass. A year down the line, he's going to regret tonight."
Bono reflected on his "Drop the Debt" campaign to erase debts saddling Third World countries.
In 2000, he praised Martin's zeal for easing their burden of debt.
"Paul Martin took my phone calls, he let me in, he promised to help and he kept that promise," Bono said. "Jean Chr?tien, he did the same. It's not just about keeping a promise to me. It's about keeping a promise to the poorest, most vulnerable people on Earth, and I'm grateful to them both for that.
"The idea that we hold children to ransom for the debt of their great-great-great- grandfathers ... that's a kind of corruption; that's unacceptable. These debts should just be cancelled."
Recently Bono sent a letter of praise to Chr?tien, congratulating him for the Liberals' push to sell cheap, generic-produced drugs to Africa to assist in the fight against AIDS.
Last night, Bono urged Martin to forge ahead on the issue, and warned developed nations ignore African AIDS at their peril.
Here is a link to the speech with audio.....
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/11/14/bono031114