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Foreign policy is how a nation best expresses itself to the world. Our policies as a government, reflecting our beliefs as Canadians, are articulated through the words we speak, the decisions we make and the actions we implement in the name of Canada.
Over the course of the past year and a half, my government issued our country’s first National Security Policy, launched the Canada Corps with its work in Ukraine, led the International Mission for Iraqi Elections, commanded the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and the multinational force in Haiti, negotiated a new Security and Prosperity Partnership with our counterparts in North America, pursued modern trade and science and technology agreements with India, Japan and Korea, and demonstrated our leadership in combating HIV/AIDS in the developing world and encouraging debt relief for the poorest of countries. We are proud of these accomplishments. But we also understand that from time to time, a government needs to take a hard and comprehensive look at what is working and what is not in its foreign policy; at how the world is evolving and whether Canada is prepared; at how best to project Canadian values and interests into the world and make a real difference in the lives of its embattled peoples, now and in the future. This is the right time to review our foreign policy.
Why? Because the world is changing, quickly and radically, and these changes matter to Canada—not in abstract terms, and not only to students of international relations, but tangibly and to everyone. Our security, our prosperity and our quality of life all stand to be influenced and affected by these global transformations and by the challenges they bring—from the spectre of international terrorism to the threats of virulent disease, climate change and disappearing fish stocks. It is through our foreign policy that Canada must and will act to ensure that we as a nation overcome the trials and embrace the opportunities of the 21st century.
Make no mistake: We are in the midst of a major rebalancing of global power. New nations are rising as military and economic forces. Many established powers are striving to maintain their influence through regional integration and new alliances. In a world of traditional and emerging giants, independent countries like Canada—countries with small populations—risk being swept aside, their influence diminished, their ability to compete hampered. That may sound dramatic, but the stakes are that high. We will have to be smart, focused, agile, creative and dogged in the pursuit of our interests.
Why is the time right for a foreign policy review? Because we want to make a real difference in halting and preventing conflict and improving human welfare around the world. This may sound naively altruistic, but it’s not. Rather, it’s a doctrine of activism that over decades has forged our nation’s international character—and will serve us even better in today’s changing world. The people of our country have long understood that, as a proud citizen of the world, Canada has global responsibilities. We can’t solve every problem, but we will do what we can to protect others, to raise them up, to make them safe.
Such intentions can be frustrating, for the world does not lack for a supply of grinding poverty, murderous conflict and abject despair. There is only so much that we, as one nation, can accomplish. But that fact must not dissuade us. Instead, it must inspire us—inspire us to rally cooperative action to address major concerns; inspire us to focus on countries and conflicts within which we can truly make a difference; inspire us to keep at it and to follow through, to understand that real progress means not only keeping the peace but doing the hard work of building the systems of health, education and justice that will enable people to grow, to succeed, to thrive.
Remember: There is no contradiction between Canada doing well and Canada doing good. Canada benefits directly when the world is more secure, more prosperous, more healthy, and more protective of the natural environment. If we are to take our responsibilities seriously to ourselves and the Canadian generations to follow, then we must take our responsibilities to the global community seriously as well, not only with noble sentiment and rhetoric—we must also earn and perhaps re-earn our way. This will take effort and it will take dedication.
Why is the time right for a review? Because we are now in a position to reinvest in our international role. For decades, there was a slow erosion in Canada’s commitment to its military, to international assistance and to our diplomatic presence around the world. Then, during the nineties, there were more cutbacks as our government made tough decisions to save the country from financial calamity. As a result, our international presence has suffered. But thanks to the sacrifice and resolve of Canadians, we have restored our fiscal sovereignty and have spent the past year renewing our investments in domestic priorities, such as health care. Now is the time to rebuild for Canada an independent voice of pride and influence in the world. It won’t be easy. We will have to earn our way in defence and security. We will have to earn our way in international assistance and global commerce. And we will have to understand that we can’t simply recreate what we once had. Instead, we must build today for the world of tomorrow. That is what we are dedicated to doing.
Canada in North America
Our security, our prosperity, our quality of life—these are all dependent on the success with which we help to manage the North American continent. All Canadians understand that our most important relationship is with the United States. As a government, we treat it that way, devoting energy and effort to ensuring the relationship remains strong, sophisticated, productive and focused on common goals, such as the security of our borders, the health of the North American economy and the free flow of trade between our nations. The fact that most of our trade crosses the border each day free from dispute does nothing to shake our determination to improve the existing dispute resolution mechanism, which has come up short too often.
Living in proximity to the world’s only superpower has engrained in Canadians both a pride in our friendship and a determination to set our own course in the world. We share many goals, both within our continent and within the world, but our societies are different. Our perspectives and our values sometimes diverge. It is natural that even the closest of friends have their respectful differences. Indeed, Canada has always chosen its own way, and it will continue to do so.
More broadly, we understand that within North America, Canada, the United States and Mexico each face unique challenges, and they each look at the world in their own way. What is increasingly obvious in the 21st century, however, is that there are more and more challenges that affect all of North America—challenges that require North American solutions that respect our differences as sovereign countries, but that also recognize our profound interdependence as neighbours on this continent.
Thus, on March 23, President Bush, President Fox and I signed the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America that establishes the way forward on our continental agenda for security, prosperity and quality of life. It is a partnership that respects the past but is devoted to building for the future, to ensuring that we as North Americans are able to continue to thrive in a world in which China and India have emerged as economic giants.
Defence and International Security
The first duty of government is to protect its citizens. That responsibility today has been complicated by the emergence of new threats: rogue states, failed and fragile states, international criminal syndicates, weapons proliferation, and terrorists prepared to act with no concern for the cost in human lives, including their own.
The Statement sets out the steps we are taking and will take to defend Canada against all threats, to protect the northern portion of our continent and to preserve our sovereignty, including that of the Arctic. Among the reforms is a fundamental restructuring of our military operations under a unified “Canada Command”—a change that will make certain that in a time of crisis, Canada’s military has a single line of command and is better and more quickly able to act in the best interests of Canadians.
We are also expanding our Canadian Forces, and we are ensuring that when our military personnel are deployed, they are well equipped to do the job—and to do it as safely as possible. By adding 5,000 new troops and 3,000 new reserves, we are enhancing our ability to address situations of humanitarian catastrophe in a way that will allow Canada to play a leading and lasting role in peace support operations.
And lead we will. For instance, Canada will direct a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar, Afghanistan--just our latest contribution to securing and rebuilding that country. We will maintain our leading role in supporting the strengthening of police capacity in Haiti. We will strongly support renewed efforts toward a just settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and will play an integral part in abetting Palestinian efforts in capacity building and reconstruction. And then there is Darfur, where the suffering continues and the tragedy escalates. The international community has thus far made unacceptable progress toward initiating a multilateral intervention. Canada will work closely with the African Union to improve its ability to restore security and bring stability to the region, and we will do more in the areas of training, equipment and logistical support.
Trade and Commerce
We have benefited enormously from an open economy; we are the world’s eighth largest economy and fifth largest trader. From the “outside in,” our openness to trade, investment and people brings us cost-effective and competitive industrial inputs and consumer products, new technologies, new research and development, and the human capital we need to fuel our continuing growth. From the “inside out,” global markets for our goods, services and investments are a principal engine of our growth, which could not be sustained by our relatively small domestic market of 32 million people.That is why we continue to place great emphasis on a positive outcome for the Doha Development Agenda of global trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization.
Our strategy for international commerce has moved well beyond simply looking for export markets, though that remains a very important part of what we do. And it has moved beyond simply marketing our natural resources, though that remains a thriving sector. In today’s economy, it is ever more important to promote strong international investment and scientific and research relationships around the world. Investment abroad by Canadian companies is of increasing importance to the Canadian economy; the numbers show that trade follows investment, and that means more export-led, high-value jobs in Canada. The future belongs to knowledge-based economies, and steps are being taken now by government and the private and academic sectors to make sure Canada is equipped to benefit.
While the U.S. remains our most important market, Canada will step up its engagement with other mature nations, as well as with those that today are emerging as the global titans of tomorrow. That’s why we signed a science and technology agreement with India and launched discussions on new economic frameworks with Japan and Korea. That’s why we will undertake market access negotiations with Mercosur in the context of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. And that’s why we are pursuing major opportunities with China in tourism, technology and resources, where our expertise and other value-added capabilities make us a formidable global player. The International Policy Statement sets out in more detail what we have done and what we will do to strengthen our commercial relationships with key partners. This is a crucial opportunity and we will not let it pass us by.
International Assistance
Canadians have demonstrated, time and again, a remarkable generosity toward the world’s poor and suffering, most recently in the response to last December’s Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. Whether as members of religious congregations, as supporters of non-governmental organizations, or as private individuals working and contributing on their own, Canadians have done a great deal to share their good fortune with others.
Those who donate want to know that their contribution is having an effect, that it is improving lives, that it is getting to those who so desperately need it. The same is true of our government and its international assistance programs. We are motivated by the imperative to ensure our aid reaches the people who need it and is not wasted on unnecessary overhead.
Accordingly, we have concluded that the government’s aid budget is spread too thinly across too many programs in more than 150 countries. Put simply, the money that we contribute to international assistance on behalf of Canadians is not accomplishing as much as it should. We will narrow our focus to maximize our impact. We will be realistic about Canada’s ability to help others, but we will be resolute in ensuring that our aid money is targeted so that it does as much good as possible.
That is why the International Policy Statement sets out a new strategic aid policy for Canada that will:
focus our aid on 25 development partners;
concentrate our spending on the key sectors that drive development—health, education, governance, indigenous private sector development and the environment;
bring new and effective delivery mechanisms to bear, such as Canada Corps;
continue to increase official development assistance and other forms of foreign aid by 8 percent each year, resulting in a doubling of assistance between 2001 and 2010; and
maintain increases beyond 2010, and accelerate the projected rate of growth in international assistance as our fiscal position continues to improve.
Through implementing this integrated approach, we will ensure that our development assistance will make a difference where the need and the prospects for results are greatest. And we are committed to finding ways to increase our aid even more.
The Statement elaborates our approach to institution building, engaging Canadian expertise and idealism in developing countries. And it affirms our commitment to enhanced research and development to support a knowledge-based approach to the needs of developing countries.
It also declares that the best way for Canada to make a difference in post-conflict situations is to pursue a “3D” approach, undertaking Defence efforts to strengthen security and stability, pursuing Diplomacy to enhance prospects for nation-building and reconstruction, and making certain that Development contributions are brought to bear in a coordinated and effective way.
The New Multilateralism
In the post-war period, the international community has asserted greater collective responsibility for the well-being of the world’s peoples. In areas ranging from human rights to civil conflict to the environment, the United Nations and other international organizations are addressing matters that historically were thought to lie solely within the authority of the sovereign nation-state. That is why, at the United Nations last year, I argued that modern sovereignty increasingly encompasses responsibilities to the international community as well as to one’s own citizens, and identified five areas where Canada intends to push forward the international agenda for action:
first, the “Responsibility to Protect,” to hold governments accountable for how they treat their people, and to intervene if necessary to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe;
second, the “Responsibility to Deny,” to prevent terrorists and irresponsible governments from acquiring weapons of mass destruction that could destroy millions of innocent people;
third, the “Responsibility to Respect,” to build lives of freedom for all people, based on the fundamental human rights of every man, woman and child on earth;
fourth, the “Responsibility to Build,” to make sure our economic assistance programs provide the tools that ordinary people really need to get on with their own development; and
fifth, the “Responsibility to the Future,” to ensure sustainable development for future generations through better management of global public goods.
The Statement sets out how these responsibilities are shaping our diplomacy and how they must reshape multilaterism. Our multilateral institutions must be up to the task. We must reform for the future the international systems that have served us well. That means tackling the widening divide between rich and poor nations, and accommodating new centres of power. A recent UN report recommended a number of changes proposed by Canada, including the enshrining of the Responsibility to Protect.
This is a defining period for the United Nations, the best opportunity in memory to significantly improve an institution that is essential to our collective security and prosperity. We will work with like-minded countries in support of recommendations for a new Peacebuilding Commission, a Human Rights Council, and an internationally agreed definition of terrorism. We will support reform of the Security Council to make it more effective and more representative—and to ensure that progressive countries like Canada are able to participate more frequently.
We will also continue to press for a new forum that would bring together the leaders of 20 or so leading countries from the developed and developing world to hold talks on how to deal with some of the world’s most pressing problems, including reforms to our multilateral systems. The L20 may not come easily but it will be created because it makes sense. It is always difficult to get countries to accept changes in their political status, but it cannot be avoided. As has been noted before, it can take a great deal of effort to bring about the inevitable.
We seek nothing less than a new multilateralism, in which the real and pressing needs of people are addressed. Canada has always contributed to and benefited from multilateralism. We believe strongly in finding cooperative solutions. But we also recognize that we must be ready to change with the times and lead where we can, especially where multilateral institutions are acting too slowly or are not up to the task.
Making a Difference
In our current age, the changes to the world’s economic, security and political landscapes are increasingly seismic, the global fault lines more unstable and numerous. We see it in the headlines of our day. We feel the anxiety of a world on edge.
That is why as Canadians we must be active beyond our borders to protect and promote our values and our interests--security in the face of terrorism and the increasing threat of nuclear proliferation, and our trading relationships with the United States, Mexico and throughout the world. We must advance the concerns of people who seek freedom, stability, democracy and above all, a better life. And while we value multilateralism and know the great good that international cooperation can achieve, we must ultimately be committed to playing a lead role in specific initiatives and, on occasion, to resolving to go it alone. We have the means to help, and so we will. We must.
Canadians want us to promote our international interests vigorously. Canadians know we have to make tough choices to safeguard our freedom and security, our prosperity and quality of life. Canada can make a difference through its foreign policy, through its relationships across the globe. Building on our strengths, adapting to a changing world, we will make a difference.
The Right Honourable Paul Martin Prime Minister of Canada
Introduction: The Need to Review
