What Bob Rae Should Be Talking About

Bob Rae is awesome when it comes to qualifications for Foreign Affairs Minister (as well as qualifications for any government post, really.) His education took place all over the world: starting in Ottawa, he then moved to Washington D.C., then Switzerland, after which he attended the best University in Canada, U of T, and for grad-school he went to Oxford, England. Mr. Rae was a Premier of Canada's largest province, he has been in federal politics, he is a member of the order of Canada, he was asked to head the Air India Inquiry and now Bob Rae is Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition's Foreign Affairs critic. Foreign policy flows through his veins, as he is the son of a Canadian diplomat.

When the Liberals come to power they will be led by Michael Ignatieff who is cited as one of the greatest foreign policy thinkers of this generation. Mr. Rae will have the chance to shape policy that will literally change the world. But foreign policy is about the past and present as much as it is about the future. Right now Mr. Rae has made his name when talking about Sri Lanka, Israel, R2P, and Iran (these issues are covered in his excellent publication "Global Currents.") The problem is that there are many more issues than these that the government is not talking about and Mr. Rae is also failing to bring into the public debate. Mr. Rae has done a great job writing op-eds on certain issues but here he can also improve by going on television and radio as well as providing more content on his website.

Here is a list of Canadian foreign policy issues that Mr. Rae, Foreign Affair Critic and Future Minister of Foreign Affairs need to be talking about regularly and, more importantly, publicly:

The Commonwealth/La Francophonie:
There are 53 member countries and 56 member countries in each of these organizations respectively. Canada has a lot of influence in the Commonwealth and La Francophonie but neither are talked about at all. These organizations are of vital importance as both link Canada to much of the third world and (more importantly) both are organizations where the United States of America is not present.

The United Nations:
Though I am personally a U.N. skeptic, there is no denying that Canada once had a large role in the U.N. (lots by the Conservative government) and that the United Nations has the potential to get a lot accomplished. The Security Council dominates conversations about the U.N. This can be good for the Liberals as the CPC have declared there intentions to run for a SC Seat in 2010 but have done a terrible job lobbying (e.g. cutting most of Canada's aid for Africa.) Besides the SC there is almost no debate about Canada's current role in the U.N. Mr. Rae should be openly critiquing the Conservatives on this and offers a better way where Canada plays a more active role in peace keeping and the writing of U.N. related international documents.

China:
The largest country in the world in terms of population, with a sizeable population in Canada (in a province where the Liberals want to grow) and an economy that is growing very quickly. The Harper government ignored China as the Prime Minister has a philosophy that is very much a Cold-War/Bush Era holdover. Prime Minister Harper did not attend the Olympics, which was China's "Coming out" party internationally and China (which Mr. Rae would understand) takes symbolism and insults more seriously than any other country. Thanks to Minister Day his policy has changed. Conversation about China should focus around trade. China wants nuclear technology and oil, both of which Canada could be a leader in but isn't because of this government. There is a temptation to spend any time discussing China focusing on human rights. Not to be callous but that is folly. China should be pressured in the back rooms, in discussions face to face with the PM/UN ambassador not in our parliament or on CTV. Mr. Rae needs to start a China debate as the Conservatives have much to answer for.

India:
The second most populated country, the home to most outsourcing and a rising power. India was brought into the Commonwealth by Canadian negotiations (under a Liberal PM.) India is looking for nuclear technology but is relying a lot on France; the Common Wealth connexion could help Canada a lot on this front. India is a stable democracy that Canada needs to be engaging as much as we engage China.

The Organization of American States:
There are 35 countries in the OAS, including our largest trading partner the U.S.A. If Canada is serious about democracy promotion and international influence that should all start at home, in North/South America. Many of the countries in OAS are not democratic and this should be an issue for the foreign affairs critic. No state sovereignty should ever be conceded but there should be a serious conversation about free trade in our hemisphere and the OAS should be where those talks take place.

The G8:
Mr. Rae has been largely absent on this topic. The G8 is one of the most important organizations Canada belongs but it is not really discussed in a substantive manner. There have been articles on Canada's failure on the climate change front in the G8. The G8 can be an umbrella where many issues fall (the global financial crisis, environmentalism, free-trade, foreign aid, etc.) The Liberals need to have a solid G8 policy, saying: "This is what we would do differently from the Conservatives." The G8 meets every year and it is a group where Canada is working closely with some of the most powerful countries in the world, if you don't have anything weighty to say about the G8 then you shouldn't be in government

Afghanistan/NATO:
Canada has a lot of obligations to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (it's why we are in Afghanistan) but no party has been discussing NATO. It seems like any debate about Afghanistan has stopped. The NDP only provide a one-sentence solution last election but the Liberals didn't have a coherent policy. Mr. Rae needs to bring Afghanistan back to the forefront. President Obama is sending more troops and getting commitments from many NATO countries. Canada will be disappointing one of our best allies by removing our troops and we will also be missing a chance to help rebuilding a country that has been a failed state for most of its existence.

Arctic Sovereignty:
This is one of the most pressing issues currently facing Canada, as there seems to be a "race to the North." Under the Conservatives we are loosing this race and no party is really discussing it. There are estimations that huge stores of natural gas can be found in the arctic. There is also the larger problem of countries like Denmark questioning Canada's sovereignty.

The United States:
Mr. Rae has touched on issues concerning the United States of America (protectionism) but has yet to tackle America head on. 78.9% of our exports go to there but the government and the Liberals have been largely silent on the U.S. The auto-bailout was one of the least talked about events of this parliamentary session (thanks to Mr. Kenney and his false accusations) but it is US policy that Canada followed with no questions asked. America can sometimes dominate the Canadian foreign policy debate, which should be avoided but questions like: How can Canada protects its industries without starting a tariff war? Should can be looking to Asia/Europe and lessen ties with the United States? And what is the future of NAFTA? Need to be asked now rather than later.

International Environmental agreements:
The Liberals have commented on Canada's decline in terms of environmentalism but they have failed to make it part of the public conversation. The environment is a major international issue and the current government has done nothing to address climate change and has been actively working against international environmental treaties. Publicly debating the environment is not only good policy, it is good politics as to form government the Liberals need votes from the NDP and Green voters.

The African Union (AU) and investment in Africa:
The Conservative government recently changed the main recipients of foreign aid from African countries to South America. Africa is seen by many American companies as the new place to invest. Canada has a great advantage when engaging Africa, as we were never a colonial power. The African Union has the potential to be very strong but needs support from countries like Canada. Our current government has made us fade away on the African front and we are missing out on great investment opportunities and the chance to help many living in poverty and dealing with disease. Infrastructure is majorly lacking in Africa, which makes Bombardier very useful diplomatically.

The Foreign Affairs Department Budget:
The Conservatives have cut the DFAIT budget by $639 Million. Canada is not a military power; we rely on soft power for a lot of our influence. Mr. Rae needs to hold the government to account on this.

Conclusion:
There are probably other topics that I have missed but these are 12 issues that not being talked about by any party. The Liberals, with their profound intellectual foreign policy history, should be talking about them and influencing the debate. Canada is falling behind in global leadership (just look at Nuclear Isotopes, Afghanistan, African Aid, and environmentalism) as Stephen Harper has put the focus on hard power and Cold War foreign policy strategies. Canada became a world leader and performs best with an intellectual approach to foreign policy as pioneered by Lester B. Pearson. With two intellectual heavyweights at the helm Canada can be a global player again; but, like Pearson, Rae needs to contribute to the debate. He cannot just pick emotional issues like Sri Lanka and Darfur. Canadians are intelligent, worldly and relish good debate. Please, Mr. Rae give it to them as Mr. Cannon and Mr. Harper refuse to.
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Foreign minister-in-waiting

The last time Bob Rae saw him, Lakshman Kadirgamar was in a dark mood. They were talking in the Sri Lankan foreign minister’s office in Colombo. The former Ontario premier had been visiting Sri Lanka’s capital regularly for a few years, on occasion even venturing out to backwoods bases of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, trying to help the island nation talk its way out of a cycle of vicious civil war. “You people,” Rae recalls Kadirgamar saying, meaning Westerners, “you really don’t understand what it’s like and what we’re up against. I know that I could be shot dead any time, even getting out of my swimming pool.”

A few months later, on the evening of Aug. 12, 2005, a LTTE sniper killed Kadirgamar as he climbed out of his pool, just as he had foretold. Rae was back in Toronto when he heard the chilling news. This was not the first time one of his Sri Lankan contacts had been assassinated by the Tigers. Yet earlier this month, Rae was blocked from entering Sri Lanka on the grounds that he was a Tiger supporter, a charge he of course denied. Detained at Colombo’s airport, he was put on a plane to Britain after 12 fruitless hours arguing with security officials.

Most Canadians hearing the news must have been mystified. Why would Sri Lanka’s government care one way or the other about Bob Rae? But in an odd way, Rae’s expulsion draws attention to the international seasoning he gained after his 1990-1995 term as Ontario’s NDP premier and before his return to politics as a Liberal in 2006. And that period is potentially of great interest, given Rae’s possible next career move. As Ignatieff’s foreign affairs critic, he’s widely viewed in Ottawa circles as a sort of foreign minister-in-waiting. He laughs off a question about whether he’s already got a lock on the prestigious post, should the Liberals win the next election. “Let’s just say,” he allows, “that I’m enjoying this job and I hope it leads to others.”

As foreign minister, Rae would bring first-hand background in a global hot-spot —unusual for a politician from Canada. Before his Ontario government was defeated in 1995, he was immersed in federalist theory as a key player in the failed Meech Lake and Charlottetown bids for constitutional reform. After his defeat, then-prime minister Jean Chrétien and Stéphane Dion, his intergovernmental affairs minister, recruited Rae to chair the Forum of Federations, a think tank they created to advocate for federalist forms of government.

Sri Lankan politicians approached the forum early on, searching for a federalist fix for their strife. The idea was to persuade ethnic Tamil separatists to accept partial self-determination within a united but federal Sri Lanka. After a ceasefire was signed in 2002, Rae and other forum officials began meeting frequently with both sides. He’s now writing a foreign policy book drawing heavily on that experience, which he says reinforced his view of Canada as a “natural peacemaker and peacekeeper.”

In hindsight, though, he doubts a peaceful solution for Sri Lanka was ever within reach. “The Tigers,” Rae says, “were never going to change their tactics, and their tactics were grotesque.” One tactic: assassination of moderate Tamils, like Kadirgamar and Rae’s friend Kethesh Loganathan, a peace negotiator killed in 2006. Working with University of Toronto political science professor David Cameron, Rae quietly helped other Tamil moderates, whose lives were in grave jeopardy, flee to safety in Toronto. During the final assault that crushed the Tigers this spring, he pleaded for Sri Lanka’s army to spare Tamil civilians—probably the real reason he was blocked from entering Sri Lanka.

While Rae was being held in Colombo’s airport, back in Ottawa, Ignatieff and Prime Minister Stephen Harper were engaged in the tactical dance that brought the parliamentary session to an end. Rae is not the only big-name Liberal whose political persona sometimes seems to come into focus away from Parliament Hill. Ken Dryden has been on a speaking tour of campuses, talking up his vision of Canada. Martha Hall Findlay is trying to make a mark connecting to youth through online social networking.

As for Rae, he feels his Sri Lankan phase is over. If he became foreign minister, though, it might suddenly look more relevant than, say, an uneven run as premier or a couple of thwarted tries for the Liberal leadership.
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