Apparently obsessed with the death of singer Olivia Newton-John, the media, both French and English, ultimately commented relatively little on the death of Bill Graham on August 7th.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
Some have mentioned the various functions he held during his long career as a politician from 1993 to 2007, notably as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2002-2004) and National Defense (2004-2006) or as Head of the official opposition and interim leader of the Liberal Party in 2006.
Most of the comments focused on the personality of Mr Graham who everyone agreed was a true gentleman. I noted that John Baird, former Minister of Foreign Affairs under Stephen Harper, not particularly known for his generosity to his political opponents, said that Mr. Graham had been an outstanding Minister of Foreign Affairs. For once, I find myself in perfect agreement with Mr. Baird, who for his part left only bad memories within the Canadian diplomatic corps.
Why was Mr. Graham an excellent foreign secretary? Because he embodied competence, experience and intelligence, he was perfectly bilingual and endowed with a particularly affable personality.
In short: a perfect diplomat who, in addition, had the attentive ear of Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin under whom he served. He had clear ideas about what Canada could do on the international stage.
I was Director General of Global Affairs when Mr. Graham became Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2002. The Department had already learned to work at the often frantic pace of Minister Lloyd Axworthy and his many initiatives. Expectations of Mr. Graham were therefore high. He was able to meet the challenge with a different style from that of his predecessor.
As was the case with Mr. Axworthy, Mr. Graham had interesting opinions and proposals on major international issues. I remember in particular a lively discussion on the future of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights with the late Sergio di Mello, then High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Human Security Network held in Austria in May 2003.
Mr. Graham had clearly expressed his frustrations at the functioning of the Commission, which is often hampered by countries with a poor record in this area, and suggested launching a process to change things. Within 24 hours, he managed to convince not only the High Commissioner, but also his colleagues in the network of the importance of carrying out such an initiative which, after long and painstaking efforts, eventually led to a reform significant to the Commission.
I also worked closely with Mr. Graham when I led the interdepartmental task force dispatched to Sri Lanka and Indonesia in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami that devastated those countries in late 2004. Within days, Canada was able to announce the deployment of the Department of Defense Disaster Response Team in a coordinated and effective manner.
A very good example of what Canada can accomplish when it uses its full potential. I was also able to appreciate the deeply human side of Mr. Graham who wanted to meet me on my return from this difficult mission. I was touched when he gave me a spontaneous hug and thanked me profusely. Mr. Graham knew how to establish human relationships that fostered the commitment and motivation of the troops.
At the risk of sounding too nostalgic, I would say that Mr. Graham was the last Minister of Foreign Affairs of the good old days when Canada was making its mark on the international scene, a time when more had to be done than refrain from tightening Sergei Lavrov’s hand at a G-20 meeting to claim a real foreign policy.
The many ministers who succeeded Mr. Graham in the Foreign Office lacked that combination of natural dispositions, interests and talents which make a good minister and evidently they were not favored by the lack of Prime Ministers Harper and Trudeau’s interest in multilateralism, an area where Canada had previously excelled.
I remember trying to explain to Peter MacKay, when he had just been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs by Stephen Harper in 2006, that Canada had taken decades to build virtually unparalleled credibility at the United Nations. , but that we could lose it very quickly if we followed the approach proposed by Mr. Harper. I think that’s unfortunately what happened.
The multiple Ministers who have led Foreign Affairs since Mr. Graham’s departure have only gradually diminished Canada’s footprint on the international stage, and our international partners have finally ceased to take a genuine interest in the opinions of a Canada whose contribution in terms of ideas and international commitment is only a shadow of what it was or could be.