David Webster: According to the UN Security Council the world doesn’t need more Canada
Groups and individuals who initially had high hopes for Trudeau ended up actively campaigning against Canada’s bid through a new organization, the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute. This marks a significant development. Minister of Foreign Affairs François-Philippe Champagne had few answers to criticisms from the most internationalist sectors of Canadian civil society.
Canada spends a mere 0.27 per cent of its gross national income on overseas development, far short of the UN target of 0.7 per cent set by former prime minister Lester Pearson. Winning candidate Norway gives more than one per cent. Canada is rarely asked to mediate, and it’s seen, more often than not, as a supporter of United States policy.Article content continuedThere’s a vast gulf between Canada’s rhetoric and its actions. The world sees a Potemkin foreign policy, mostly for show.
With the end of the Cold War, Canada was freer to take an independent stance. In a 1995 foreign policy review, many civil society groups called for a policy centred on human rights.Under foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy, Canada used its Security Council term in 1999-2000 to promote “human security.” Though Ottawa still promoted Canadian business, Axworthy proved willing to diverge from U.S. foreign policy and ally with civil society networks.
Canada was most effective during its last Security Council term when it teamed up with civil society. Twenty years on, with the gap between rhetoric and actions wider than ever, many civil society voices have become vocal critics.
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