Tougher foreign policy vital to Canada: Baird
OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird knows some of his government’s positions on the world stage are unpopular. Supporting Israel and walking away from the Kyoto accord this month are two examples.
Baird won’t apologize for either.
“We don’t develop foreign policy to be popular around the world,” he says in a recent interview with Postmedia News. “Sometimes you’re alone saying something, and then a number of years later, it’s conventional wisdom.”
The refusal to concede on issues of importance to the government is one of the clearest marks that Canada’s approach to world affairs has undergone a dramatic change since the Conservatives first came to power nearly six years ago.
Gone is the so-called “soft power” and “human security agenda” of the previous Liberal government, symbolized by consensus building at the United Nations and diplomatic initiatives like peacekeeping. In its place is a clear pursuit of interests linked to an uncompromising projection of values backed up by a strong military.
The government’s top concern, Baird says, is Canadian economic prosperity.
“It is a lens through which we view almost anything,” he says. “Foreign policy has become even more important to the economy. It’s really essential.”
The Foreign Affairs Department budget has increased by about $700 million since 2006 to $2.8 billion. Where it has resulted in more feet on the ground, those have largely been trade commissioners in trade offices opened in China, India, Brazil and other economic hotspots.
At the same time, Baird is quick to list the number of free trade and foreign investment agreements being pursued by the government. Perhaps not by coincidence, when Canada’s embassy in Tripoli, Libya, reopened in September, the first officials deployed were trade officers, not political and human rights experts.
But nothing is bigger than the United States, and Baird identifies the recent Canada-U.S. border security agreement as the best example of “traditional diplomacy” from the last year.
“It took a solid, personal relationship at the top between the prime minister and the president in order to initiate something, successfully see its conclusion and announce it,” Baird says.
The same is true with the mission in Libya, he adds.
“I think Libya’s a big success because of strong leadership on behalf of the prime minister,” Baird says, though he also praises Gen. Charles Bouchard, the Canadian commander who oversaw the NATO operation.
In fact, Baird describes Libya as Canada’s biggest diplomatic accomplishment in the past year.
“No doubt the diplomatic work, the coalition-building and the military success in Libya was a big one for Canada,” he says. “How many thousands, tens of thousands, of civilian lives were saved? It’s just a remarkable accomplishment.”
The Canadian military has emerged as a major player in Canadian foreign policy in recent years, bolstered by the fact the Defence Department budget has increased nearly $5.6 billion to $20.3 billion since the Conservative government came into power. This has included the purchase of new aircraft, ships and armoured vehicles, as well as heavy combat roles in Afghanistan and Libya.
Critics have lamented what they say is the Conservatives’ prioritizing of military power over Canada’s traditional strength, diplomacy.
Sitting in his 10th-floor office at Foreign Affairs headquarters, Baird says the government is simply undoing years of damage wreaked by Liberal governments in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“The military was gutted for 13 years,” he says. “Even the man the Liberals appointed to be chief of defence staff (Rick Hillier) called it a ‘decade of darkness.’ ”
But while the government is preparing to spend billions on new F-35 fighter jets, Baird refuses to rule out the closure of Canadian embassies abroad through budget cuts next year.
Known for his bombastic style in the House of Commons, many wondered whether Baird, appointed to the portfolio in May, would be able to make the transition to becoming Canada’s top diplomat.
OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird knows some of his government’s positions on the world stage are unpopular. Supporting Israel and walking away from the Kyoto accord this month are two examples.
Baird won’t apologize for either.
“We don’t develop foreign policy to be popular around the world,” he says in a recent interview with Postmedia News. “Sometimes you’re alone saying something, and then a number of years later, it’s conventional wisdom.”
The refusal to concede on issues of importance to the government is one of the clearest marks that Canada’s approach to world affairs has undergone a dramatic change since the Conservatives first came to power nearly six years ago.
Gone is the so-called “soft power” and “human security agenda” of the previous Liberal government, symbolized by consensus building at the United Nations and diplomatic initiatives like peacekeeping. In its place is a clear pursuit of interests linked to an uncompromising projection of values backed up by a strong military.
The government’s top concern, Baird says, is Canadian economic prosperity.
“It is a lens through which we view almost anything,” he says. “Foreign policy has become even more important to the economy. It’s really essential.”
The Foreign Affairs Department budget has increased by about $700 million since 2006 to $2.8 billion. Where it has resulted in more feet on the ground, those have largely been trade commissioners in trade offices opened in China, India, Brazil and other economic hotspots.
At the same time, Baird is quick to list the number of free trade and foreign investment agreements being pursued by the government. Perhaps not by coincidence, when Canada’s embassy in Tripoli, Libya, reopened in September, the first officials deployed were trade officers, not political and human rights experts.
But nothing is bigger than the United States, and Baird identifies the recent Canada-U.S. border security agreement as the best example of “traditional diplomacy” from the last year.
“It took a solid, personal relationship at the top between the prime minister and the president in order to initiate something, successfully see its conclusion and announce it,” Baird says.
The same is true with the mission in Libya, he adds.
“I think Libya’s a big success because of strong leadership on behalf of the prime minister,” Baird says, though he also praises Gen. Charles Bouchard, the Canadian commander who oversaw the NATO operation.
In fact, Baird describes Libya as Canada’s biggest diplomatic accomplishment in the past year.
“No doubt the diplomatic work, the coalition-building and the military success in Libya was a big one for Canada,” he says. “How many thousands, tens of thousands, of civilian lives were saved? It’s just a remarkable accomplishment.”
The Canadian military has emerged as a major player in Canadian foreign policy in recent years, bolstered by the fact the Defence Department budget has increased nearly $5.6 billion to $20.3 billion since the Conservative government came into power. This has included the purchase of new aircraft, ships and armoured vehicles, as well as heavy combat roles in Afghanistan and Libya.
Critics have lamented what they say is the Conservatives’ prioritizing of military power over Canada’s traditional strength, diplomacy.
Sitting in his 10th-floor office at Foreign Affairs headquarters, Baird says the government is simply undoing years of damage wreaked by Liberal governments in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“The military was gutted for 13 years,” he says. “Even the man the Liberals appointed to be chief of defence staff (Rick Hillier) called it a ‘decade of darkness.’ ”
But while the government is preparing to spend billions on new F-35 fighter jets, Baird refuses to rule out the closure of Canadian embassies abroad through budget cuts next year.
Known for his bombastic style in the House of Commons, many wondered whether Baird, appointed to the portfolio in May, would be able to make the transition to becoming Canada’s top diplomat.
