The speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, during her recent speech at the Council on International Relations in Montreal, clearly marked a change in approach compared to the speeches to which Canadian diplomats have become accustomed over the years. The minister announced a shift towards a less moralistic foreign policy, highlighting two guiding principles: the defense of Canadian sovereignty and a resolutely pragmatic diplomacy.
This approach emphasizes the need to perceive the world as it is rather than conceiving it as we would like it to be. An obvious fact for many which, however, does not always go without saying in Ottawa. Did this speech by Minister Joly represent a departure from the general direction of the Trudeau government? No. The centralization of power in Ottawa and the control of the government message meant that Minister Joly’s speech received the blessing of the Prime Minister’s Office before being delivered.
We believe that this change of approach, even this realistic turn, is beneficial for Canada. For decades, Canadian foreign policy has been defined by the export of our values, whether under the banner of human security under Jean Chrétien, principled diplomacy under Stephen Harper or feminism under Justin Trudeau. Canada presented itself above all as an entrepreneur of international standards, sometimes moralizing towards other countries, particularly those in the Global South. However, geopolitical balances have changed, with the rise of illiberal regimes and an international context marked by populism, armed conflicts, rivalries between great powers and the weakening of international liberal norms.
It is now imperative to recognize the reality: Canada is a second-tier power that does not have the capacity to impose its vision of the world or dictate the rules of the game. Of course, we can repeatad nauseam that “the world needs more Canada,” but the reality is that our influence is waning and it is Canada that the world needs.
In this context, the minister announced that Canada will adopt a less moralistic posture and will seek to cooperate with the countries of the Global South by considering them as full partners to better define possible solutions to global problems, including those of climate change. . This pragmatic approach means that we will be prepared to collaborate with states with whom we have significant disagreements, in the best interests of Canada. This new direction seems judicious and responsible given the current international situation.
The minister’s approach is also more realistic in highlighting the need to defend our territorial sovereignty, particularly in the Arctic region. She values growth in defense spending and pledges to increase protective measures against foreign interference, including that of China, Russia and Iran. It is interesting to note that this guiding principle recalls certain orientations of the “Canada First” defense policy published by the Harper government in 2007.
Everything is therefore not new in this speech. However, as a whole, it marks a real change in the overall approach towards the world and in the way in which the current government sees our priorities as well as the role it wants to give to our international action. The key now lies in implementing these ideas. If the current government seriously commits to this path, then we might be able to talk about a small revolution in Canadian foreign policy.