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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