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Question 1: The 1995 Policy Review and SinceWhich values and interests bear most fundamentally on Canada's foreign policy? How can Canada's foreign policy better reflect the concerns and priorities of Canadians?
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| Contributor: | CCIC |
| Date: |
2003-05-01 21:10:02 |
| Answer: |
The primary values and interests that should drive Canadian foreign policy are global social justice, peace and respect for the planet’s ecosystems.
In 1995, the United Nations (UN) proclaimed 1997-2006 the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty with the theme "Eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind." On the issue of addressing global poverty, there has been a huge gap – in Canada particularly since the mid-1980s – between pledge and performance.
The existence of this gap is one of the reasons why, in 1998, CCIC and its members groups put forward a 10-point agenda for global action on the elimination of poverty. This ten point agenda speaks to many of the primary values and interests that should underlie Canadian foreign policy:
1) Promoting sustainable development;
2) Upholding human rights;
3) Creating an equitable global economic order;
4) Achieving gender equity;
5) Improving the lives of children;
6) Building peace;
7) Promoting global food security;
8) Promoting individual and corporate social responsibility;
9) Reinvesting in Canada’s Foreign Aid program; and
10) Creating new opportunities for citizen participation.
The elimination of global poverty can be used as both a goal and a standard to measure the coherence among the different components of Canadian foreign policy and to further a people-centred focus.
Canada’s foreign policy can better reflect the concerns and priorities of Canadians by:
§ Acknowledging the global elimination of poverty explicitly as an attainable goal.
§ Recognizing, that over the past 50 years, the majority of Canadians have shared core values rooted in community interests such as poverty alleviation, universal health care, respect for diversity, upholding human rights, environmental protection and the promotion of global security through peace.
§ Recognizing that international investment frameworks, including trade agreements and structural adjustment programs, have, in the majority of cases, failed to adequately address or protect these core values.
§ Acknowledging that the goals of eliminating poverty, promoting fundamental social justice and protecting the environment are shared across boundaries. Canada’s foreign policy mandate should explicitly acknowledge the primacy of social and environmental domestic legislation and international environmental and social agreements over trade and services agreements. Canada’s foreign policy mandate should also explicitly recognize that environmental and social problems need to be addressed at their source.
§ Acting on the core values of Canadian foreign policy within a framework which respects cultural diversity.
§ Building more effective and balanced partnerships between Southern and Northern countries, and among governments, civil society and the private sector. In particular, the Government of Canada needs to be consistent across all forums, and promote the participation of civil society in national and international policy making at home and abroad. The recent Voluntary Sector Accord is an example of one way government and civil society are interacting. Initiatives that more directly involve civil society in policy formulation should be made a standard part of all foreign policy consultations.
Recommendations in response to Question 1
1. Acknowledge global elimination of poverty explicitly as an attainable goal and objective.
2. Recognize that over the past fifty years, the majority of Canadians’ shared values are rooted in community interests such as poverty alleviation, universal health care, income security, human rights, environmental protection, respect for diversity, and the promotion of global security through peace.
3. Recognize that pursuit of international investment frameworks, including trade agreements and structural adjustment programs, have, in the majority of cases, failed to adequately address or protect these core values.
4. Acknowledge that values of social justice and protecting the environment are shared across boundaries.
5. Acknowledge the primacy of human rights legislation and international environmental and social agreements over trade and services agreements.
6. Recognize that environmental and social problems need to be addressed at their source.
7. Respect cultural diversity while acknowledging universal human rights.
8. Build effective and balanced partnerships between Southern and Northern countries, and among governments, civil society and the private sector.
9. Strive for consistency across all forums, and maximize the opportunities for the participation of civil society in national and international policy making.
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