What future for Canada without the world?

Most observers of the international scene and of Canada’s place in it must regretfully admit that our foreign policy is no more than a pale copy of what it once was. We are a long way from the time when Lester B. Pearson’s vision of an active Canada in the system of multilateral organizations was crowned with a Nobel Peace Prize. Is it too late to put things right and give Canada back a credible voice in the international community? We believe it is still possible.

Recognize our interdependence

The interdependence between nations is increasingly evident and cooperation based on true solidarity is becoming essential. To save the planet and humanity, is Canada ready to (re) become an international activist and to put solidarity at the heart of its foreign policy by allying with as many nations as possible?

We face an existential challenge that affects our very survival. The harmful and growing effects of global warming and the loss of biodiversity cannot be combated by actions that are only national, however ambitious they may be. So when Canada and the United States wanted to fight acid rain, they knew they had to cooperate, as winds and rain didn’t recognize borders. Relatedly, the quality of the water in the Great Lakes requires international coordination.

In addition, the problems sometimes have a global dimension, which presents quite a challenge. This is the case with climate change. It must be recognized that only coordinated international actions based on science with ambitious objectives and taking into account the capacities of the poorest and most vulnerable populations will be able to lessen the inevitable shock that awaits us and facilitate our adaptation to this emerging new world.

Multiple issues

We must not lose hope. In his last speech to the Canadian Parliament, former United States President Barack Obama spoke of the success achieved with the Montreal Protocol on the protection of the ozone layer. In this case, the countries agreed to collaborate. Billions of dollars have passed to developing countries through a multilateral fund headquartered in our city. So all is not lost.

This pandemic – like those to come – is a clear and compelling indication that a country or region alone cannot build an impassable wall of protection.

Conflicts within and between countries persist, accumulate and increase migratory flows and the number of refugees. The origins of these conflicts are multiple and range from poverty and inequalities to the effects of global warming, including power struggles, ethnic, racial or religious conflicts, among others. The rise of reductive nationalisms, the unproductive purism of the moralizing left and unilateralism as well as international terrorism have certainly not helped to improve the situation.

Towards meaningful international cooperation

Over the years, Canada, which had proposed in the 1960s through Lester B. Pearson – again – that industrialized countries devote 0.7% of their gross national income (GNI) to development aid international, has become one of the least generous countries in the world. Thus, in 2017, only 0.26% of GNI was allocated to it, unlike countries with their hearts in the right place such as Sweden, Denmark, Norway or the United Kingdom which even exceeded the approved target. by the United Nations.

The time has come to give Canada back a decent international cooperation agenda. Our country remains one of the richest on the planet. We have the resources and the capacities to implement a benevolent and united cooperation with the less fortunate countries and the vulnerable populations because we want to live in a more just world for all, peaceful and ecological.

If only out of survival instinct, this cooperation should include an effective fight against global warming and greater protection of the environment and biodiversity. We must accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and a more socially and culturally responsible use of natural resources, taking into account the ecological limits of the planet. It will be necessary to include support programs for the most vulnerable and least privileged nations on the planet to put in place national health and education programs, in particular for women and girls. It will also be necessary to promote a genuine international vaccination program against COVID-19 and other pandemics.

Effective partnerships

National, regional and international conflict prevention and management mechanisms will need to be strengthened and more strongly supported by the international community for greater peace and enhanced international security. The most powerful countries should be invited to limit their military spending, to refrain from provoking conflicts in order to increase their power and to support the construction of real justice and international peace.

It will also be necessary to promote greater democracy and good governance, which will make it easier to fight against national and international corruption and to put in place a more fair, equitable and transparent international tax system.

Finally, the apparatus of Canadian politics and international cooperation has been undermined in recent years and must be rebuilt. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must equip itself with staff with knowledge and a deep understanding of international challenges and experience of concerted actions abroad to direct our policies and programs. This will require greater leadership in collaboration with all interested stakeholders in Canadian society and the establishment of effective partnerships with civil society, both national and international.

What directions to take at the global level?

Beyond the need to restore our credibility in the field of development cooperation, it is also obvious that the new Trudeau government must initiate a deep reflection on its international policy. We cannot trust our friendship alone with the United States and Europe, among other “allies”.

This review should be entrusted to distinguished and distinguished Canadians and international colleagues with real knowledge and understanding of what the future will be like, such as Louise Arbor, Margaret Catley-Carlson, Huguette Labelle, Mark Carney , Simon Brault, Joe Clark, Lloyd Axworthy, as well as Rajesh Tandon and Kumi Naidoo.

Faced with these many challenges, we strongly believe that the pressure of civil society – national and international – on governments and the international community could be a real factor for change.

There is no international policy without real support from the population and consistency between what we recommend abroad and what we achieve within our country.

In Canada itself, we must renounce the preaching and the incessant excuses to implement a real fight against poverty, inequalities and racism; engage in national reconciliation with First Nations; put in place a more open and ambitious immigration policy; ensure an equal place for women and girls; finally, to promote more sustainable, fair and equitable economic and social development. Our international aims will only be credible at this price.

Canada is part of just about every possible international and multilateral forum. Are we just going to keep showing up or do we intend to provide real leadership?

Civil society, large private companies and financial institutions, Canadian and international, can also act to achieve common goals. The Canadian government must now demonstrate the ambition and courage necessary to put in place an open, transparent and non-partisan process of analysis and reflection with the stakeholders concerned to define Canada’s place and role in the world. We sincerely hope so. It would be sad, serious and costly if it were otherwise.

* The Reflection Group on International Development and Cooperation (GREDIC) is made up of former leaders of development cooperation organizations, and is associated with the Canadian Observatory on Crises and Humanitarian Aid (OCCAH). It is made up of Nicole St-Martin, Robert Letendre, Nigel Martin, Pierre Véronneau and Mario Renaud.

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