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Forum on Canada’s Foreign Policy

Hosted by the Hon. Andrew Mitchell, MP Parry-Sound Muskoka and Secretary of State (Rural Development) and the Hon David Kilgour, MP Edmonton Southeast and Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), at St. Thomas Anglican Church, Bracebridge, ON, March 6, 2003

Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Bill Graham, has initiated a review of Canada’s Foreign Policy. In order to engage Canadians, a series of town hall meetings are scheduled to take place in every region of the country.

On March 6th, the Hon. Andrew Mitchell hosted a foreign policy forum in Bracebridge, Ontario, with David as a resource person. The event brought out hundreds of local high-school students, seniors and other individuals with an interest in the future direction of Canada’s role in the world. While the aim was a general policy discussion, the potential conflict in Iraq immediately became the overriding theme of the forum. The following significant points were made:

· Canada’s autonomy must be protected. We are not a puppet of the United States and must make our own foreign policy decisions. Political leadership in Canada must be more clear. For our voice to be more effective globally, we must increase the presence of the Canadian brand around the world;

· By selling arms to rogue states like Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea, it is the US who have helped to destabilize the international community. It should be primarily their responsibility disarm these states;

· Canada should focus on its traditional role as an international peacemaker/peacekeeper and a protector of human rights. We have a moral obligation to address poverty and world hunger. Education and humanitarian aid is the only way to effectively counter terrorism in the developing world;

· Our military is overburdened. We can’t be everything to everybody. We should instead focus our limited resources on a series of specialized and specific roles. Furthermore, Canada should not feel obliged to follow the US into every armed conflict they pursue;

· In order to be a truly self-directed middle power, Canada must pursue new trading partners including new and emerging markets, including Asia-Pacific.

· Once we have identified our foreign policy priorities, we must properly support them financially.

For more information or to contribute your own thoughts on the Dialogue on Foreign Policy, please visit the David’s website at www.David-Kilgour.com or the Department of Foreign Affairs website at www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca.

 
 
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