Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
19 November 2010
Canada’s Foreign Policy
Gets a Harder Edge
The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has changed the language of its foreign affairs officials to downplay humanitarian concerns
In foreign policy, Canadians have a proud tradition and worldwide reputation for being a champion of human rights. This status has been achieved through support for programs to protect the downtrodden and the oppressed.
Canada Fought for Human Rights Observance
Under Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian 
Mulroney (left) (in power 1984-
Mr. Mulroney was also heavily engaged in promoting the Convention on the Rights Child
of 1989. This legally binding United Nations document sets out, among other things,
that child soldiers be given special protection from prosecution as war criminals.
This is done in the well-
Responsibility to Protect a Canadian Initiative
When the Liberal government of Jean Chretien (below) came to power in 1993, this
tradition of advocacy for human rights 
continued.
Canada pressed for nations to adopt the concept of the “Responsibility to Protect.” Embodied in the notion is that every government’s primary focus should be to shelter all its citizens from exploitation and abuse.
So, Canada was at the forefront of campaigns for the Treaty to Ban Landmines (1999), and the setting up of the International Criminal Court (2002).
Diplomatic Language Changes under Conservatives
Now, reports Embassy magazine (July 2009), the course has altered, “as a result, bringing subtle but sweeping changes to traditional Canadian foreign policy.”
What’s happened is that a ban has been placed on using certain language in Canada’s foreign service. “Child soldiers” may no longer be spoken of: they are now “children in armed conflict.” The phrase “international humanitarian law” is now just “international law.”
The term “gender equality” has been replaced with “equality of men and women.”
These changes may not seem enough to cause a fuss, but in the world diplomacy they signal a significant change.
As Michelle Collins writes in Embassy, “For many observers of Canada’s foreign policy, these are distressing language changes that water down many of the very international human rights obligations Canada once fought to have adopted in conventions at the United Nations.”
Criticism for Canadian Foreign Policy under Harper
Errol Mendes is a professor of international law at the University of Ottawa. Speaking on the CBC Radio program The Current (August 26, 2009), he said the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is “changing foreign policy by stealth or democracy on the sly.”
Professor Mendes said some of our allies, such as the Scandinavian countries are amazed that Canada is turning its back on its longstanding traditions.
Harper Playing to Right Wing Base Support
Historian Desmond Morton, on the same program, made the point that Mr. Harper is making these changes in an effort to appeal to his narrow and very conservative base of support.
“It’s not a majority base,” he said. “But, there are people who don’t like Canada to be a leading humanitarian...[They view] foreigners as people who are not like us and are not important that way.
“That ended with the Second World War and the discovery of what these attitudes could actually lead to.”
Mr. Morton said he doesn’t “think a lot of Canadians like this very much.”
World Offers Judgement on Changed Policy
On October 12, 2010 the world’s diplomats seemed to offer a verdict on Canada’s changed foreign policy.
The United Nations rejected a bid by Canada to have a seat on the prestigious Security
Council, the first time this has happened in the 60-
The Globe and Mail reported (October 13, 2010) that, “The humiliating rejection of Canada’s bid to win a seat the United Nations Security Council Tuesday presents Stephen Harper with a choice: acknowledge this rebuke from the global community and rethink how his government presents Canada to the world, or ignore it and accept an outsider status unique in this country’s history.”
Sources
" ‘Gender Equality,’ ‘Child Soldiers,’ and ‘Humanitarian Law’ are Axed from Foreign Policy Language.” Michelle Collins, Embassy, July 29, 2009.
Erroll Mendes/Desmond Morton, The Current, CBC, August 26, 2009.
“Security Council Rejection a Deep Embarrassment for Harper.” John Ibbitson and Joanna Slater, Globe and Mail, October 13, 2010.
“For Canadians, Peacekeeping a Priority over Combat Roles.” Campbell Clark, Globe and Mail, October 25, 2010
© Canada and the World, October 2010
All rights reserved
CANADA’S DECLINING POPULARITY
A worldwide poll of 20,000 people has found that the positive opinion most people have of Canada is declining.
“Public views of Canada’s influence have worsened during the last year.”
That’s the conclusion of a public opinion survey carried out in 18 countries by GlobeScan and the Program on International Policy Attitudes on behalf of the BBC World Service.
The survey also found that Canadians are increasingly giving their own country a
more negative rating.
In 2008, 86 percent of Canadians thought the nation had a positive influence on the
world; this has now dropped to 75 percent.
DOUGHNUT DIPLOMACY
In September 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not make the traditional trip to New York for the annual opening of the UN General Assembly.
“The reason?” asked Steven Chase of the Globe and Mail, “Mr. Harper’s making a stop at something called the Tim Hortons Innovation Centre.”
“In Ottawa, power and influence have shifted away from the Department of Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Privy Council.
“Afghanistan and climate change are handled by agencies outside of Foreign Affairs. Three deputy ministers report directly to the Prime Minister on foreign and national security affairs.”
Former Canadian diplomats Allan Gottlieb and Colin Robertson, Globe and Mail, October 13, 2010.
GET BACK TO PEACEKEEPING
“Canadians think it's more important for their armed forces to be peacekeepers than combat fighters.” That’s Campbell Clark writing in the Globe and Mail (October 25, 2010).
A Nanos poll done for the newspaper found “52 percent of respondents rated UN peacekeeping as an important role for Canada's armed forces.”
Only 21 percent rated overseas combat as important.