Ontario has a long history of welcoming those who abuse human rights in their own countries, provided they bring business opportunities from which it can make money and Premier Dalton McGuinty has now almost written this in stone. The Liberal premier has given a warm reception to senior cabinet minister in India who has been identified as helping organize riots in which more than 3,000 Sikhs were killed.

The premier met behind closed doors with transport minister Kamal Nath, while 500 from Ontario’s Sikh community protested.

McGuinty said the two talked about trade and he prefers a policy of “open engagement” with foreign dignitaries.

This appears to be a diplomatic, sanitized way of saying he is open to receiving anyone who brings prospects of doing business and does not want to get into issues that embarrass, such as crimes they have committed back home.Having visited India and Pakistan, he views them as prime future sources of business, because their wealth is increasing rapidly and they are able to buy from other countries.

Ignoring rights abuses in the countries of the Indian sub-continent and others has been the Ontario way for a long time. Former premier William Davis rolled out the red carpet for a president of Pakistan, General Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, noted even among the world’s most bloodthirsty tyrants. Zia had seized power in a coup, executed his predecessor, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, imposed martial law, banned dissent, had many who spoke against him murdered or publicly flogged, and repeatedly ignored the protests of such groups as Amnesty International.

Zia called his trip a “goodwill tour,” but what goodwill could such a vicious dictator bring Ontario except perhaps he had flogged a mere 200 of his citizens that day?

Davis raised no concern and this was in line with his attitude that he had no knowledge of overseas issues and they were not in his official jurisdiction, except when he praised Israel or knocked the Soviet Union, which were good for votes here.

But it is difficult to believe a premier would not ask his staff for a file on anyone who visited him and more likely he knew about the abuse by his visitor and turned a blind eye.

Davis gave an even heartier welcome to another general turned president who murdered political opponents on an even larger scale – Suharto of Indonesia, who was estimated to have caused the deaths of 1 million real or suspected political opponents and banned free speech and open elections.

Suharto came saying he wanted to attract investment and promote trade and Davis treated him to a welcome at the airport and equivalent of a state dinner at the Ontario Science Centre.

The province’s elite were forced to hear this outstanding contributor to international culture explain he was trying to bring his people “democracy and spiritual wellbeing.”

Davis also treated Suharto’s wife to a sightseeing tour of Niagara Falls, and may have felt he and Suharto had much in common, because the premier had five children and constantly impressed the importance family values.

The province gave a similar warm welcome to Prem Tinsulanonda of Thailand, another general who seized power and was high on Amnesty’s list of those who repressed, tortured and operated death squads.

Ontario welcomed a premier of Iran at a time when the Shah’s prisons were notorious even among those the world for their torture.

Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, still one of the strongest barriers to democracy in Africa, also was among those the province wined and dined. Ontario MPPs in all parties once tried to designate committee of their own to look at and condemn political killings, torture and terrorism abroad, but it never quite got off the ground.

A Liberal government has now gone back to the dark ages, saying it prefers not to know of crimes committed in their own countries by those with whom it does business, which probably smoothes the wheels of commerce, but cannot make Ontarians feel proud.