A Look at What Real Change Could Mean for Canadian Foreign Policy

Source: Flickr/Justin Trudeau Campaign

To Liberals, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien summed it up quite nicely in his recent opinion piece: Canadian foreign policy under the Harper government has diminished Canada’s stature as a global leader. To be sure, the upcoming foreign policy debate will offer the party leaders the opportunity to clearly articulate their vision for Canada abroad. Here, Justin Trudeau will be able to present what he envisions to be “Real Change” for Canada’s role in the world.

Indeed, a Liberal foreign policy will aim to restore Canada’s image abroad as an active, balanced and constructive actor on the international stage. Many progressively minded Canadians have been disenchanted by the Conservative government’s so-called “principled” approach to foreign policy for various reasons, whether it be due to its disdain for the United Nations, its lack of commitment on climate change, its missteps vis-à-vis the relationship with the United States, its Middle East policy, or its inadequate response to the international refugee crisis. Conversely, here is what a Liberal foreign policy may resemble on these same issues.

UN

How fitting that the upcoming foreign policy debate is taking place the same week as the United Nations’ 70^th anniversary. It has become clear over the past decade that the Prime Minister views the UN with less regard than did his predecessors. He routinely skips the General Assembly even if he happens to be in New York. Under the Conservative government, Canada failed to win a rotating seat on the Security Council in 2010 and is presently contributing a meager three dozen of the 80,000-plus UN peacekeepers deployed around the world, ranking 65^th among the 193 UN member states. By contrast, Canada ranked as world leader in troop contributions twenty years ago. What is more, under the Conservative government, Canada has lagged in paying Canada’s fees to UN agencies.

A Liberal government will look to reverse Canada’s waning influence and image at the UN, increase its participation in peace operations and use the multilateral body to promote Canadian principles of diplomacy and engagement. Indeed, Trudeau has promised to increase Canada’s support for the UN and other multilateral institutions in its efforts to magnify Canada’s voice on the global stage.

Climate Change

Under the Conservative government, Canada has become among the lowest performers in reducing its carbon emissions as promised. A report by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan concluded that Canada, among several others, has seemingly withdrawn from constructive international engagement on climate issues. Considering the Conservatives’ inability to meet their own Copenhagen targets and given their withdrawal of Canada from the Kyoto Protocol a few years ago, the Liberals will look to boost Canada’s reputation on climate action.

The Liberals have already announced that they plan to attend the UN climate conference in Paris which aims to seal a major climate deal. Trudeau has also announced that within 90 days of assuming office, he would hold a First Ministers meeting to work together on a framework for combatting climate change and reducing Canada’s carbon emissions. The Liberals have also promised to phase out subsidies for the fossil fuel industry in order to fulfill Canada’s G-20 commitment and has plans to pursue a North American clean energy and environmental agreement.

North America

The Keystone XL pipeline and the lobbying effort the Conservative government pursued to influence the Obama administration fell rather flat and was ill received by the White House, negatively impacting the bilateral relationship. The Prime Minister’s diplomatic misstep when referring to the approval of KXL as a “no-brainer” and his lectures to the Obama administration on the benefits of the project did more harm than good in advancing the cause. Considering the sensitive environmental nature of the issue and the hyper-partisan atmosphere in Washington, the Prime Minister should have kept its lobbying efforts away from the US political sphere and public eye and used personal diplomacy with the president instead. The importance in the rapport between the two heads of government cannot be overstated in advancing the national interest.

Justin Trudeau has indicated that one of his foreign policy priorities will be the reinvigoration of the bilateral relationship with the United States. In steering Canada’s most important relationship, the Liberals have announced that they would create a Cabinet-level committee to oversee and manage the partnership.

On North American trade, the Liberal platform includes plans to reduce continental trade and commercial impediments to strengthen Canada’s economic competitiveness. Moreover, the Liberals will seek to restore executive-level trilateral cooperation by hosting a North American Leaders’ Summit, which has been postponed by the Conservative government.

ISIS

Canada joined the US-led coalition to combat ISIS in 2014 by contributing six CF-18s, a refuelling tanker, two surveillance aircrafts and 69 special operations advisers training and assisting the Kurdish Peshmerga. Reportedly, the Royal Canadian Air Force has participated in less than three per cent of all coalition sorties in Iraq and Syria, raising questions as to whether Canada’s contributions could be rendered more effective by other means.

In efforts to maximize Canada’s contributions, the Liberal leader has pledged to maintain Canada’s military participation but to end its combat mission. Trudeau will pull Canadian fighter jets from the skies over Iraq and Syria and has committed to increasing Canada’s humanitarian and advisory role by sending additional military personnel to assist in the training of Iraqi security forces.

Israel

The Prime Minister has developed a close relationship with the right wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu and staunchly supports Israel, most notably at the UN, no matter what the costs to Canada’s global image as a fair and balanced actor. As an example, Canada, along with seven other countries, recently voted against the Palestinian flag from being flown at the UN headquarters in New York despite the General Assembly overwhelmingly approving the resolution. Canada’s partnership with Israel should not be in question, but if Tel Aviv contravenes international norms and expands its settlements in occupied territory, Ottawa should join its closest allies such as the United States and raise its serious concerns with Israeli leaders.

If elected to form the next government, the Liberals will continue to maintain a strong partnership with its ally and should leverage the relationship to turn Canada into a key player in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by actively working to help reignite negotiations for a two-state solution instead of idling by on the sidelines.

Iran

While the Conservative government’s role in facilitating the restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba should be applauded, this form of constructive diplomacy must be applied more broadly in Canadian foreign policy, particularly as it relates to Iran. The Conservative government’s Iran policy has diverged from that of its closest allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, all of which participated in the successful negotiation of a historic nuclear deal this summer. Instead, Canada is lagging behind in its reaction to the peaceful resolution of the nuclear dispute. Now that a deal has been secured, Canada will need to act accordingly and pursue constructive diplomacy with Tehran.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has stated that he would move to normalize relations with Iran and hopes that Canada would be able to reopen its Embassy in Tehran. To be sure, this would be consistent with Canada’s NATO and G7 partners who are working to develop stronger ties with Iran. By re-establishing diplomatic ties, Canada will have the ability to engage the Iranian government on issues such as human rights and countering violent extremism, particularly in the fight against ISIS. What is more, re-engaging Iran would facilitate the sizeable Iranian Canadian community’s ability to maintain links with their motherland. Pursuing ties with Tehran could also position Canadian companies to seek business opportunities once sanctions begin to lift.

Refugee crisis

The Conservative government was taken aback by the migration crisis unfolding in Europe and the Mediterranean. Only after public outcry and political pressure did the Government announce plans to expedite the settlement of 10,000 Syrian asylum seekers by September 2016. Citing security concerns as the main reason for the lagging response, it is possible to balance Canada’s generosity and compassion with security. Canada can and has done better, welcoming roughly 200,000 refugees during the Second World War, 50,000 Hungarians during that country’s confrontation with the Soviet Union, 60,000 Vietnamese in the 1970s and thousands of Kosovars in the 1990s.

Recognizing the dire situation in the region, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has pledged to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees by January 1, 2016–hopefully a first among many steps in the right direction.

The views here are solely those of the author and do not represent the official views of the Council on International Policy nor that of the Liberal Party of Canada.