Beijing Olympics: To Attend or Not to Attend?

The Embassy

Michelle Collins
July 23, 2008

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Opinions are split on whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper's absence will even be noticed.

To attend the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies or not has become more than a simple bit of summer vacation planning for leaders around the world, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, over the past few weeks.

While world leaders like French President Nicolas Sarkozy, U.S. President George W. Bush, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda have all stated they will be attending, Mr. Harper has been steadfast on his decision to not attend.

The debate over whether Mr. Harper can and should …

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