The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, has begun to fulfill her mission. When she was appointed last October, she promised to reinvest in diplomatic tools to strengthen Canada’s presence in the world. She has just laid the groundwork for Canada’s return to the international scene by announcing the opening of six embassies over the next few months. This reinvestment will bolster a rather anemic diplomatic presence on the ground, which contrasts with that of its G7 partners.
Further announcements could come later following the publication by the end of the year of a strategy statement on the Indo-Pacific and another on Africa, two regions that are now in the spotlight. special attention in Ottawa.
Since 2006, the governments of Conservative Stephen Harper and Liberal Justin Trudeau have shown themselves to be indifferent, to say the least, to Canada’s diplomatic presence abroad. When he was elected in 2015, Trudeau promised a return to Canada without giving himself the means to do so. China’s rise, Russia’s aggressiveness in its former empire, Africa’s emergence as one of the world’s most economically dynamic regions, and Canada’s loss of influence illustrated by two consecutive defeats in the election to the Security Council have forced Ottawa to take its place in the world seriously.
And it is in the former Eastern Europe, particularly because of the war in Ukraine, that Canada is beginning to strengthen its global diplomatic footprint. The current offices in Estonia, Lithuania and Slovakia will be transformed into full-fledged embassies, and the diplomatic presence in Latvia increased given the Canadian military commitment in this country within the framework of the deployment of a multinational contingent of the NATO to face Russia.
Ottawa will also open an embassy in Armenia. Why did you choose this country, a faithful ally of Russia, rather than neighboring Georgia, yet a candidate for the European Union and NATO? The minister highlights the close ties between the two countries and the need to consolidate its fragile democracy. One could add that the presence of a large Armenian community settled in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, in Montreal, the electoral district of Mme Joly, is another good reason.
Africa is the second continent where Canada wants to increase its presence by opening an embassy in Rwanda and a mission to the African Union (AU). These choices are wise. Rwanda, despite a negative human rights record, wields considerable influence on the continent. France has understood this well by favoring in 2018 the election at the head of La Francophonie of its Minister of Foreign Affairs to the detriment of Michaëlle Jean. And Switzerland too, which will transform its cooperation office into an embassy.
As for the opening of a mission to the AU, it is a bold decision, because only four countries – the United States, Italy, Japan and China – have a similar representation at this organization. which brings together the 54 African States. It could pay off in the medium and long term when Canada seeks support for its diplomatic initiatives.
This presence is part of the Minister’s desire to adopt a strategy to take advantage of the continent’s economic development. She also entrusted her parliamentary secretary, Robert Oliphant, with writing it. He is supported in this exercise by a new assistant deputy minister, the Africanist Antoine Chevrier, who has just been appointed to replace a civil servant with no diplomatic and African experience who had been parachuted into this position despite everything by the Prime Minister’s office.
The most awaited strategy statement is certainly that relating to the Indo-Pacific region. It has been constantly delayed for a year and will be delayed for a few more months as the ministry is caught up in the crisis in Ukraine. Ottawa is not inactive in this region, as evidenced by the negotiations on a free trade agreement with the ten members of the Association of East Asian States.
However, Canada is absent from many economic and security initiatives in this part of the world where the rivalry between the United States and China is structuring international relations for decades to come. It seems that in Ottawa, the government is still hesitating on what strategy to adopt at a time when the United States is trying to regiment the world in its crusade against China. Whatever the outcome of the current reflection, Canada’s pivot to Asia is irreversible and it would not be surprising if Mme Joly announces the creation of other diplomatic missions in this direction.
There are still a lot of efforts to be made in order to give Canadian diplomacy the means to regain some influence. Being on the ground is a first step. Initiatives and ideas will have to follow, because they are what allow a country to sit at the table and count.