Managing
Globalization and Canadian Studies in the
21st Century
Remarks for
the Hon. David Kilgour, P.C., M.P.
Secretary
of State (Asia-Pacific) and MP Edmonton
Southeast at the
Inauguration
of III Asia-Pacific Conference in Conjunction
with
the XIX Indian
Association for Canadian Studies International
Conference
Mysore, India
January
9, 2003
Minister,
honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Derek Lee,
Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge
River, Deputy High Commissioner Brian Dickson,
and we other members of an over-ambitious
delegation that is visiting five cities
in India during eight days are honoured
to be with you to inaugurate this joint
3rd Asia Pacific and 19th Indian Association
of Canadian Studies conference.
The size
of this event, with approximately 300 participants
and about 100 workshops, speaks to the growing
importance of Canadian studies in the region.
Hearty congratulations to the organizers.
What more appropriate country than India,
home to the largest association of Canadian
studies on earth, to examine some nuances
of globalization in an Asia-Pacific-Canadian
context?
Canada and
the Asia-Pacific are being knitted together
more tightly almost daily by human linkages.
From Afghanistan to the South Pacific, Mongolia
to Australia, almost every Asia-Pacific
nation has a growing community in Canada.
One in about thirty Canadians is of Indian
origin. At almost 250,000 persons, to offer
a second example, Canada has the largest
Sri Lankan expatriate community in the world.
There are now about one million Canadians
of Chinese origin. Canadians of origin across
the Asia-Pacific are making indelible contributions
to our country in every sphere of activity.
Globalization
On the globalization
issue, permit me to quote a hero to so many
of us, Mahatma Gandhi:
“I do
not want my house to be walled in on all
sides, and my windows to be closed. Instead,
I want the cultures of all lands to be blown
about my house as freely as possible. But
I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.”
Gandhi was
prophetic. As the diverse “houses”
in the world today have seen their windows
open further in the late 20th century, new
breezes of interactivity are blowing. No
nation or culture is immune. Technological
and other breakthroughs have shrunk the
world even more, created new opportunities
to learn from each other, and, if managed
responsibly, probably placed within our
grasp the means to live together more securely
and peacefully.
Globalization,
for example, has certainly created new trade
opportunities. It has brought greater competition,
leaving some inefficient monopolies in its
wake. The faster economic growth necessary
to raise living standards in India and elsewhere
is now feasible. For some developing economies,
globalization has provided access to new
export markets, foreign investment, and
new technologies. During the 1990's, some
emerging economies that were open to integration
into the world economy evidently grew more
than twice as fast as developed ones.
Globalization
is consolidating democracy as the only legitimate
political system. Of course, there is no
single democratic model, but the idea that
every human being should freely choose those
who govern them – and can peacefully
change governments through the ballot box
– is now pervasive almost everywhere.
Whereas 50 years ago, only about 30 countries
were rated as genuinely democratic, approximately
140 countries now have multi-party elections
with universal suffrage. The largest democracy,
with more than 600 million voters, is India.
As Gandhi
had hoped, the world’s cultures are
being “blown about the house”
like never before. Borders are becoming
fluid, travel has become easier (if more
dangerous), and previously isolated and
dying cultures and languages are sometimes
finding new ways to express and preserve
themselves.
Ills of Globalization
Many, as
Gandhi said, have refused to be “blown
off their feet.” Indeed, while a business
summit was going on in Hyderabad this week,
across town, India’s former President
K.R. Narayanan was arguing at the Asian
Social Forum that countries in the region
must come together to drive globalization
away as they did colonialism.
Certainly,
many nations are still poorly prepared for
globalization’s effects. There are
negative consequences. Overly individualistic
consumerism (“I shop; therefore I am.”)
is certainly one of them. So is an undue
emphasis on the “bottom line”,
when it shows little regard for indigenous
values, languages, and cultures. Perhaps
the gravest worry many have about globalization
is that it threatens to leave many peoples
even further behind.
Managed
Globalization
In my mind,
globalization realistically cannot be stopped;
what is needed is better management of it
by all. Entrepreneurship needs to be reinforced
by a greater sense of community. Vigilant
governments and civil society everywhere
should compel business people to act responsibly.
Poor countries should be helped to develop
needed capacity and be given full opportunities
to exploit their advantages. Education for
all must be recognized as the ultimate key
to dignity and prosperity. I would argue
that Canada is a country that is providing
a good model of managed globalization.
Study of
Canada
Canadians
opted for a political evolution approach
through which we and many countries, including
India, became independent without rupturing
old ties. George-Itienne Cartier, after
playing a key role in creating our Confederation
in 1867, contrasted our peaceful evolution
with the violence and terror that accompanied
political revolution in his other motherland
of France.
We have built
in our part of North America a unique political
space, based on civility, balance, modernity
and tradition, in which a wide variety of
people and cultures can develop in harmony.
“Otherness” is respected by the
vast majority of Canadians. .
We have built
a society based on human rights, dignity
for all, and social responsibility, resulting
in a quality of life that is the envy of
many.
We have produced
cultural achievements of global renown,
which reflect the full diversity of our
heritage.
Canadians
have played a role in the defence of freedom
and the ideals of civilized humanity on
this continent as well as others. Korea
is well known, but if you will permit a
personal example my wife’s late father,
George Scott, served in our Air Force in
World War Two for part of his service from
Darjilling. My uncle, Frank White, was serving
in the Canadian army in northern India at
the time of partition in 1947 with its horrific
results for so many persons..
Does all
this make us a country worth studying? Certainly.
Do we have something to offer the world?
Absolutely. Are we perfect? Of course not.
Neither Canada
nor any other country has a monopoly on
virtue. We are all the products of our personal
environments, history and traditions --
homegrown, imported, and blended. We carry
the benefit and the burden of many things
done and many left undone.
It is important
that we note our experiences, build on successes,
and acknowledge errors. Some think our ability
to self-criticize is our best national feature.
As our political space fills in with an
ever widening range of beliefs, traditions,
values and cultures, our dialogue must become
broader, more inclusive, and more meaningful.
This is now
reflected in our literature, films and art,
in our politics, in our society, and in
the way Canadians do things – and hence
makes us worth studying.
When placed
in a context of a rapidly globalizing world
– one which magnifies human potential
as much as it fishes for differences –
this becomes all the more important. We
need models of understanding and of acceptance.
Canada is one such model; India is another.
India’s
Model
India is
showing the world that democracy and unity
in diversity, where there is constitutional
space for all in a climate of genuine pluralism,
are possible beyond the industrialized nations
of the West/North.
India’s
history of individual liberty and social
diversity positions it well to reap economic
benefits in an increasingly liberalised
world. As Gurcharan Das wrote in his book
India Unbound: “India embraces democracy
first and capitalism afterwards and this
has made all the difference. ... it is more
likely to preserve its way of life and its
civilization of diversity, tolerance and
spirituality.” This will be a major
contribution to the world of the 21st century;
India is a beacon for many others to imitate.
Supporting
Canadian Studies
As unique
models of political and social development,
India and Canada have much to share with
others and each other. For more than 30
years, the Shastri-Indo Canadian Institute
has been doing just that. Jointly funded
by our two governments, the Institute has
been the main vehicle for promoting cultural
and academic relations between our peoples.
In recent years, its activities have broadened
considerably: Shastri membership in Canada
has grown from four to twenty-one Canadian
institutions, including our Museum of Civilizations.
Other ties
with India’s academic community have
been built through our long tradition of
Commonwealth Scholarships. Over 400 Indian
students have studied in Canada under this
program since the 1960s. Last year, there
were 15 such scholars, and we’re hoping
to increase this number in the years to
come.
Our Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
contributes a little more than $CDN one
million a year to Canadian studies in the
Asia-Pacific region, the lion’s share
of which – about $325,000 comes to
India.
Last year,
we provided four awards under the Canada-Asia-Pacific
Award Program (CAPA), which was created
at the First Asia-Pacific Conference on
Canadian studies in Japan in 1998. We’re
hopeful that more Indian academics will
apply in coming years, and you can see more
or one of my colleagues for more information
afterwards.
Across the
Asia-Pacific, the development of Canadian
studies has been possible thanks to the
efforts and dedication of many individuals
like you and others who could not be join
us today. The government of Canada is proud
to have supported you and will continue
to do so in the years to come.
Conclusion
To conclude,
I’d like to leave you with a quote
from another hero to many of us, Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi. Earlier this week in a taped
message to the Asian Social Forum, she said:
“Not
only should we believe that another world
is possible, but we have to say that another
world must be created … in order that
we may be able to live in dignity as human
beings.”
We of the
early twenty-first century have the opportunity
and the challenge to do just that. We can
connect the peoples of the world with each
other in ways undreamed of even a generation
ago. Canadian studies, like all fields,
must accept this challenge. We must attract
young scholars and inspire them. We must
explore new areas of study, new ways of
looking at old problems. We must make effective
use of the new communications, which now
provide an opportunity to transfer information,
access source material, and present knowledge
to far more people at far less cost. Canada
will continue to support you and your endeavors
in the future as we have in the past.
Thank you.
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