From Egypt to Syria, people demanding political change were back on the streets this weekend. But if Egyptians are feeling the sting of a promising revolution stalled, Syrians are in the thick of a revolution not yet enabled. With President Assad seemingly resistant to even the criticism of other Arab leaders, Syrians here were on the streets hoping for help from Canada.

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Part One of The Current

Satire

It's Monday, November 21st.

Mobile phone operators in Pakistan have been ordered to screen text messages and remove all euphemisms for sex.

Like this doozy from the Defence ministry: " Let's hide bin Laden in Abottabad" -- if , uh, ya know what I mean.

This is The Current.

Syrian National Council as legitimate govt - Faisal Alazem

Syrian Canadians rallied in Ottawa over the weekend, urging the Canadian government to take action against the government of Bashar Al Assad. Protesters want Canada to recognize the opposition Syrian National Council as the country's legitimate government.

Today there are reports Syrian soldiers opened fire on 3 Turkish buses near the central Syrian city of Homes, injuring 2 people. Turkey has been critical of the Assad regime's crackdown in Syria and opposition groups are working out of Turkey.

Today news comes after the Syrian government agreed -- with conditions -- to allow observers from the Arab League to monitor the efforts to defuse the violence. Faisal Alazem is the head of the media committee of the Syrian Canadian Council, the group that organized the rally in Ottawa on Saturday. He lives in Montreal but he was in Stockholm, Sweden this morning.

The Current requested either an interview or a comment from Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird or a representative from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. A spokesperson for the department referred us to a statement Minister Baird issued last Wednesday in response to the Arab League's decision to suspend Syria. Among other things, the statement says that "Canada will continue to urge the isolation of this illegitimate regime."

Syrian National Council as legitimate govt - Costanza Musu

Ottawa is a long way from endorsing any alternate leadership of Syria, but Foreign affairs minister John Baird has met with members of the Syrian National Council.
To talk more about the complexities that have to be considered before such a move, we were joined by Costanza Musu. She's an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.
And this morning she was in our Ottawa studio.

Related Links:

• Canadians urged to get out of Syria while they still can By: Campbell Clark - Globe and Mail
• Canada engaging Syrian opposition movement By Lee Berthiaume - Postmedia News
• Syria defiant in face of Arab League warnings over crackdown By: Ian Black - The Guardian
• Q&A: Syrian opposition alliance - BBC News
• There's no happy ending to Syria's power struggle By: Michael Bell -
  Globe and Mail
  

Other segments from today's show:

• No Running water on Manitoba reserves
• Mississippi Reconciliation - Cold Case Murder