Less grandstanding, more quiet diplomacy

Given the foreign policy background that Chrystia Freeland brings to her job as Canada’s foreign affairs minister, one might have thought that she would have paid particular attention to policies that have been successful in advancing Canada’s influence on the world stage; including policies of quiet diplomacy that were pioneered under the leadership of the late Lester Pearson. Yet, for some reason much of this experience has been rather cavalierly tossed aside by the current government. A case in point is Canada's relationship with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is certainly not a liberal or democratic state. However, Saudi Arabia is situated in a part of the world where, to put it colloquially, there are few "good guys." Apart from Israel, the region has no liberal democracies. It is a region in which wars and armed conflict are common place. Yet, Saudi Arabia, like other more moderate states in the region, is threatened by even more extremist actors, including terrorist groups that have the support of the most radical state in the region, Iran. Any Canadian relationship with countries in the region must take these factors into account. This is a dynamic which Lester Pearson would certainly have understood. He would have recognized that unless a particular state threatens Canada or its friends and allies, then engagement is a prerequisite if Canada expects to have any positive influence. This was also understood by the former Harper government. On the economic side, it meant actively pursuing market opportunities through the Global Commerce Strategy. That strategy, launched in 2007, identified several regions of the world, including the Middle East, as regions of opportunity for Canadian business. In the case of Saudi Arabia, pursuit of the Global Commerce Strategy led to a significant growth in Canadian exports, including through the sale of armoured vehicles to that country. That sale, necessary to support Saudi security, created hundreds of high paying and high quality jobs in southwestern Ontario. Equally importantly it created a basis on which to not only build broader market opportunities, but to exercise positive influence on both political and human rights issues. I speak from personal experience, through discussions that I had with Saudi officials when I was Speaker of the Senate, that one can be forceful and direct on political and human rights matters when engaged in bilateral discussions without simultaneously obliterating Canada's broader security and economic interests in that part of the world. Unfortunately, that ability to exercise meaningful influence has been carelessly abandoned by the Trudeau government. For the past three years the government has done almost nothing to build on the diplomatic foundation put in place by the former Harper government with Saudi Arabia. Then, a few weeks ago a careless tweet by Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland sparked a disproportionate Saudi reaction which, however unjustified, has undone nearly all of the gains in the bilateral relationship that had been made prior to 2015. Any Canadian capacity to exercise influence on human rights issues in the Kingdom has now all but disappeared. This has real repercussions for human rights activists in that country, including in very serious cases such as that of Israa al-Ghomgham, who might otherwise have benefitted from quiet but determined Canadian diplomatic support. This type of foreign policy mismanagement has become a pattern under the current Government. There have been too many flippant and entirely avoidable international gaffes—in China, in India, in the Middle East and with respect to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Canadian interests have suffered as a result. While it may not correspond with the DNA of the prime minister and others in the Liberal Party who gravitate toward showmanship rather than substance, it would be wise for the government to rediscover the diplomatic tradition that began under Lester Pearson and which other Canadian governments have continued. Less grandstanding and a return to quiet diplomacy is urgently required if the interests of Canadians are to be effectively protected and advanced on the world stage. Quebec Consevative Senator Leo Housakos is a member of the Senate's Foreign Affairs and Internationl Trade Committee. The Hill Times

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Less grandstanding, more quiet diplomacy

Less grandstanding and a return to quiet diplomacy is urgently required if the interests of Canadians are to be effectively protected and advanced on the world stage.

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