Conservative government’s approach to rebranding Canada’s foreign policy is failing

At no time since the Conservatives were first elected in 2006 has the political leadership been so disappointed with its international portfolios.

Having only recently shaken off public criticism of its treatment of the nation’s veterans, a government that initially strove to promote a new, more militaristic posture for Canada on the world stage now finds itself mired in controversy over the Department of National Defence’s procurement policies.

The lack of official confidence in the Canadian diplomatic corps was made clear in the decision to appoint a former privy council official without any formal ambassadorial experience to lead the new Office of Religious Freedom.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has seen its budget cut dramatically and its leadership relegated to a junior minister who, at the age of 70, is more likely to retire before the next election than he is to be promoted.

Fortunately, at least for the government, difficulties on the international file have hardly affected support for the Conservative Party overall.

Indeed, the old maxim that when Canadians go to the polls, they think primarily about themselves, rather than the world around them, is as true as it has ever been.

And perhaps that’s how it should be. As the Conservatives are learning, Canada’s capacity to effect global change is limited.

Our NATO allies did not remove caveats on their militaries in Afghanistan because we invested in the Canadian Forces. The prime minister’s outspoken, “principled” support for Israel has not moved global opinion on right and wrong in the Middle East. And CIDA’s new “focus” has not demonstrated the immediate impact on global poverty that Conservatives had hoped it would.

Indeed, all the government has to show for its efforts to rebrand Canadian foreign policy is excessive blame for problems that are more often than not beyond the capacity of any national leaders to manage.

Moreover, the politicization of Canada’s role in world affairs has prevented parliamentarians from having a serious discussion about how Canada’s military, its diplomatic corps, and its aid organization can and should adapt to defend and promote the national interest in an era of fiscal constraint.

Perhaps it’s finally time, then, to abandon the unnecessary and largely unsuccessful effort of the current government to Conservatize Canada’s international policy. Why not invite all of parliament into a pragmatic, significantly less partisan discussion of Canada’s place in the world?

There’s little political risk in at least giving it a try.

Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Adam Chapnick