tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/chrystia-freeland-48334/articles
Chrystia Freeland – The Conversation
2023-03-29T18:23:20Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/202894
2023-03-29T18:23:20Z
2023-03-29T18:23:20Z
Federal budget 2023: Long-term investments are needed to fix Canada’s infrastructure gap
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518282/original/file-20230329-26-aztqml.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=77%2C128%2C8508%2C5599&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The budget is focused on building communities through infrastructure, housing, transit and connectivity.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government’s <a href="https://www.budget.canada.ca/2023/report-rapport/toc-tdm-en.html">2023 budget</a> unveiled investments in infrastructure, with a narrative highlighting resilient and sustainable communities, and pointing to Ottawa’s progress and investments to date. </p>
<p>The budget is focused on building communities through infrastructure, housing, transit and connectivity. Much of this emphasizes investments made since 2015, including <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/pub/dp-pm/2022-23/2022-supp-tp-pt-eng.html">$33.5 billion to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program</a>, and $35 billion to the <a href="https://cib-bic.ca/en/about-us/our-purpose/">Canada Infrastructure Bank</a>.</p>
<h2>Funding critical infrastructure</h2>
<p>The budget’s investments include funding advanced research in infrastructure innovation, and continuing to invest in Canada’s Infrastructure Bank and Infrastructure Program. </p>
<p>The bank will play a leading role in electrification as part of the government’s push for clean power. This will likely position the bank as the government’s primary financing tool for major electrification projects. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518277/original/file-20230329-2823-j8ruvo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A women in a green suit speaking in Parliament" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518277/original/file-20230329-2823-j8ruvo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518277/original/file-20230329-2823-j8ruvo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518277/original/file-20230329-2823-j8ruvo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518277/original/file-20230329-2823-j8ruvo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518277/original/file-20230329-2823-j8ruvo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518277/original/file-20230329-2823-j8ruvo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518277/original/file-20230329-2823-j8ruvo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland delivers the federal budget in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 28, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
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<p>Budget 2023 also commits to engaging with provinces and territories to revise procurement policies to ensure they benefit Canadian workers and build resilient supply chains. There are also investments in <a href="https://www.budget.canada.ca/2023/report-rapport/chap3-en.html#a13">port, air and other critical transportation infrastructure</a>.</p>
<p>We know that <a href="http://canadainfrastructure.ca/en/index.html">Canada’s infrastructure is at risk</a>. Federal infrastructure investments can help to take financial pressure off municipalities that are faced with massive funding shortfalls in addressing their infrastructure concerns. With the population expected to grow, infrastructure will continue to be stressed and will <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-immigration-plans">struggle to keep up</a> without proper funding. </p>
<p>Budget 2023 provides no new major funds for what is considered essential community infrastructure: roads, water, wastewater and other infrastructure assets. Unlike electrification and connectivity — many aspects of Canada’s infrastructure gap remain relegated to low-priority status. </p>
<p>More investment is needed to address critical infrastructure gaps, but these are investments that Canadians may not be ready to make. Previous budgets have focused on short-term infrastructure investments as an economic stimulus, which doesn’t support the <a href="https://macleans.ca/opinion/canada-needs-more-infrastructure-spending-but-not-as-short-term-stimulus/">long-term view infrastructure requires</a>.</p>
<h2>Canada’s infrastructure gap</h2>
<p>A 2013 report on <a href="https://policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/canadas-infrastructure-gap">Canada’s infrastructure gap</a> highlighted the chronic issues in infrastructure investments, including the notion that <a href="https://theconversation.com/progress-stops-when-we-create-and-dismantle-infrastructure-programs-every-federal-election-166301">infrastructure remains a political hot potato</a>. </p>
<p>Between the late 1950s and mid 2000s, <a href="https://policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2013/01/Canada%27s%20Infrastructure%20Gap_0.pdf">public investment in infrastructure decreased</a> from around three per cent of GDP to 1.5 per cent, though it began to rise again in 2010. </p>
<p>During this same period, there was a significant shift in terms of who carries the burden of investing in infrastructure from the federal government, with a large revenue base, to municipalities who have the smallest revenue base.</p>
<p>Canada’s infrastructure deficit is at minimum estimated at <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/time-and-money-lost-to-canadas-infrastructure-gap-a-tremendous-loss/article37302054/">$150 billion</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/fao-report-stormwater-wastewater-infrastructure-extreme-rainfall-1.6684988">Local governments bear much of the additional infrastructure costs</a> related to extreme events, climate change mitigation and adaptation. </p>
<p>In 2013, floods <a href="https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/weather/forecasts/the-top-five-costliest-canadian-natural-disasters-of-the-2010s">caused around $3 billion in damage in southern Alberta and Toronto</a>. The cost of rebuilding in British Columbia after 2021 flooding has reached <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-cost-of-rebuilding-bc-after-november-storms-nears-9-billion/">nearly $9 billion</a>. The annual cost of natural disasters in Canada could be <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9091585/canada-climate-disasters-damage-report/">up to $139 billion by 2050</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518288/original/file-20230329-22-satzwn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A sign that reads: bridge is out on a snowy road." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518288/original/file-20230329-22-satzwn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518288/original/file-20230329-22-satzwn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518288/original/file-20230329-22-satzwn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518288/original/file-20230329-22-satzwn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518288/original/file-20230329-22-satzwn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518288/original/file-20230329-22-satzwn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518288/original/file-20230329-22-satzwn.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A ‘Bridge is out’ sign is seen following flood damage in Merritt, B.C. in December 2021. Extreme weather events like floods and wildfires are placing greater pressure on public infrastructure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
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<p>Internationally, governments are struggling with the same issues. From U.S. President Joe Biden’s <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-administration-touts-1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-2022-08-19/">$1 trillion infrastructure bill</a> to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-08-25/how-china-will-spend-1-trillion-on-infrastructure-to-boost-economy">China’s infrastructure investments</a>, infrastructure demand remains a constant across international communities from large to small. </p>
<p>But the question remains, where and how should we invest? And more importantly, what do you do when too few people seem to pay attention? North Americans have an imbalanced relationship with infrastructure, and our understanding of priority and need. We <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/06/biden-infrastructure-democrats-voters-00064694">care less about infrastructure investments</a> when we can’t see the direct benefits.</p>
<p>What we see in the 2023 budget is a careful dance. The government needs to show it’s making investments in infrastructure without further stretching public finances or making the tough choices that our dilapidated infrastructure requires. </p>
<p>No political party is protected from the curse of the infrastructure deficit — and there are no winners in the game of infrastructure funding. What it does require, is that we all collectively take responsibility. This means dealing with public spending deficits, even if that means paying more taxes. And strengthening our relationship with infrastructure and our collective understanding of the role that it plays in our daily lives. </p>
<p>Governments will need to take on additional costs, and individuals will need to learn to accept that improving our communities costs money. We all need to learn that the connection between infrastructure and our well-being is closer than we think.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202894/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerry Black receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. </span></em></p>
The 2023 federal budget provides funding for critical infrastructure and clean energy. But long-term planning is needed to fix chronic problems.
Kerry Black, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair, Integrated Knowledge, Engineering and Sustainable Communities, University of Calgary
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/193682
2023-01-05T17:50:09Z
2023-01-05T17:50:09Z
The lack of RCMP protection officers is a risk to Canada’s national security
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502844/original/file-20230102-12-ppbb83.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C4005&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference as a member of his RCMP security detail stands by on Bowen Island, B.C., in July 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/the-lack-of-rcmp-protection-officers-is-a-risk-to-canada-s-national-security" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Near the end of 2022, it was reported that the <a href="https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/1927871/rcmp-running-short-of-officers-to-protect-cabinet-ministers-from-a-growing-number-of-threats">RCMP faces a severe shortage of police officers</a> to protect federal ministers, diplomats and other government officials. </p>
<p>This staff shortage is occurring at a time when <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9227522/justin-trudeau-public-figures-threats/">threats against Canadian politicians</a> appear to be at an all-time high. During testimony at last fall’s Emergencies Act inquiry, it was revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland received <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/freedom-convoy-chris-barber-power-struggle-1.6636737">an emailed death threat against her</a> from a supporter of the so-called freedom convoy that descended upon Ottawa in February 2022.</p>
<p>The inquiry also learned that a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-security-schedule-leaked-1.6639111">former member of Justin Trudeau’s RCMP protection team may have leaked the prime minister’s schedule in advance to protest organizers</a>. </p>
<p>These threats and vulnerabilities pose a serious risk to Canada’s national security. It will require political will, resources and policy changes to tackle the issue.</p>
<h2>Threats increasing</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canadian-politicians-should-have-better-security-and-the-public-should/">Threats against public officials of all political stripes</a> are dramatically on the rise amid the current political climate. </p>
<p>According to data from the United States Capitol Police, threats against members of Congress <a href="https://www.uscp.gov/media-center/press-releases/uscp-response-oig-report-3">increased by 107 per cent from 2020 to 2021</a>. An example of this trend was the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/man-arrested-attack-us-house-speaker-pelosis-spouse-faces-charges-2022-10-29/">attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband</a> inside their San Francisco residence in October 2022. </p>
<p>Canadian politicians have also been victims of similar attacks, including when <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/political-message-behind-armed-soldiers-attack-on-trudeaus-home-requires-stern-punishment-court-told">an armed, serving member of the Canadian military rammed his truck</a> through the gates of Trudeau’s Ottawa residence in July 2020. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A police officer and a police dog examine a pickup truck seen behind a large tree." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502829/original/file-20230102-24-5tcaos.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502829/original/file-20230102-24-5tcaos.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502829/original/file-20230102-24-5tcaos.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502829/original/file-20230102-24-5tcaos.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502829/original/file-20230102-24-5tcaos.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502829/original/file-20230102-24-5tcaos.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502829/original/file-20230102-24-5tcaos.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">An RCMP officer works with a police dog as they move through the contents of a pickup truck on the grounds of Rideau Hall in Ottawa in July 2020 after a man threatened Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
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<p>Provincial public officials aren’t immune to the recent dramatic increase in threats, harassment and intimidation. In Québec, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9131146/quebec-election-crown-prosecutors-threats-consequences/">sentences ranging from probation to prison time</a> have been handed out to those who have engaged in such criminal behaviour.</p>
<p>What motivates those who threaten and wish to inflict harm on political figures varies across a wide spectrum. In the case of the Trudeau attack, the perpetrator had posted QAnon theories on social media, suggesting <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/13/qanon-canada-trudeau-conspiracy-theory/">right-wing extremist views</a>. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/right-wing-extremism-the-new-wave-of-global-terrorism-147975">Right-wing extremism: The new wave of global terrorism</a>
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<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502839/original/file-20230102-20-nuc346.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A dark-haired woman in a bright pink jacket speaks into a microphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502839/original/file-20230102-20-nuc346.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502839/original/file-20230102-20-nuc346.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502839/original/file-20230102-20-nuc346.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502839/original/file-20230102-20-nuc346.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502839/original/file-20230102-20-nuc346.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502839/original/file-20230102-20-nuc346.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502839/original/file-20230102-20-nuc346.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks on election night on Nov. 8, 2022, in Detroit. Several men have pleaded guilty or been convicted of plotting to kidnap the Democrat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)</span></span>
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<p>Recent research on politicians in the United Kingdom revealed that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.13070">women receive significantly more threats</a> and acts of intimidation from members of the public than their male counterparts. This would suggest the perpetrators likely hold sexist or misogynistic viewpoints.</p>
<p>Other research suggests the vast majority of people wanting to target elected officials suffer from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2017.22">mental illness</a> and will often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0025802419861168">exhibit warning behaviours</a> in advance of their intention to harm.</p>
<h2>Public officials are vulnerable</h2>
<p>So what does the lack of <a href="https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/protective-operations">protection officers</a> within the RCMP mean for Canada’s national security? </p>
<p>Firstly, <a href="https://canadatoday.news/qc/the-rcmp-is-running-low-on-officers-to-protect-cabinet-ministers-from-a-growing-array-of-threats-48257/">leaving federal cabinet ministers, diplomats, high-ranking government officials and Supreme Court justices unprotected</a> leaves them vulnerable to physical attacks and possible assassinations. </p>
<p>In the event of such incidents, the confidence of Canadians in their government to protect them from domestic and foreign threats would be severely eroded. It would also signal that the government as a whole is weak and at risk of being attacked for any public grievance. </p>
<p>Secondly, foreign adversaries could benefit from opportunities that arise from the disruption and uncertainties that inevitably occur in the aftermath of such attacks.</p>
<p>This is how national security systems can be exploited for political and economic advantages. </p>
<p>It has been widely reported that <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-for-canada-to-tackle-chinese-interference-after-the-trudeau-xi-showdown-194778">China has been targeting Canadian elected officials</a> and trying to influence our democratic institutions. The physical presence of protection officers around our officials could also act as a deterrent against efforts to gain access to public officials, intelligence and highly confidential state secrets.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-for-canada-to-tackle-chinese-interference-after-the-trudeau-xi-showdown-194778">5 ways for Canada to tackle Chinese interference after the Trudeau-Xi showdown</a>
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<p>The easiest solution to the protection gap would be for parliamentarians to give the RCMP the necessary support and financial resources, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-close-protection-unit-shortage-cabinet-prime-minister-threats-1.6629092">something the federal cabinet is planning to study in the coming months</a>.</p>
<h2>Private contractors a solution?</h2>
<p>But throwing money at a structural problem will not solve the issues in the short term. <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/rcmp-vacancy-rates-at-20-per-cent-in-b-c-because-positions-not-filled-officers-on-leave">RCMP attrition is outpacing recruitment</a> and it takes time to train new protection officers. </p>
<p>A possible solution in both the short and long term is outsourcing protection for some public officials, like judges and high-ranking public servants, to the private sector.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502845/original/file-20230102-19747-lmgw4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman is reflected in a man's sunglasses." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502845/original/file-20230102-19747-lmgw4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502845/original/file-20230102-19747-lmgw4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502845/original/file-20230102-19747-lmgw4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502845/original/file-20230102-19747-lmgw4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502845/original/file-20230102-19747-lmgw4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502845/original/file-20230102-19747-lmgw4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502845/original/file-20230102-19747-lmgw4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Andrea Horwath, then the leader of the NDP, is reflected in the sunglasses of her Ontario Provincial Police security detail during a campaign event in June 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
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</figure>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-will-harry-and-meghans-security-cost-when-the-government-stops-paying-131772">Many top CEOs and high net-worth individuals now have protection officers</a> who are often former police and military members. As such, they could easily pass government security background checks and already possess many of the necessary skills to do the job. </p>
<p>Private security organizations <a href="https://afimacglobal.com/">like AFIMAC</a> provide protection specialists to organizations. AFIMAC, in fact, has already <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5403321/toronto-raptors-parade-route-plan/">supported the RCMP during major events</a> when additional resources are required or when security risks are heightened. </p>
<p>The use of private sector contractors would also be cheaper over the long term given the pensions and benefits required to compensate RCMP officers. </p>
<p>Whatever the federal cabinet decides, it’s clear the status quo is untenable for Canada’s national security. The protection of public figures is an increasingly essential requirement within our polarized political environment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193682/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sean Spence does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The status quo in terms of Canada’s protection of public officials is untenable and poses a serious risk to the country’s national security.
Sean Spence, Doctorate Student in Security Risk Management, University of Portsmouth
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/192311
2022-10-27T16:42:16Z
2022-10-27T16:42:16Z
#MeToo turns 5: Taking stock of gender-based violence in Canadian politics
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491794/original/file-20221026-25-lwyx09.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6501%2C3707&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Québec Liberal Marwah Rizqy speaks at a news conference while Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade, left, looks on, in August 2022 in St-Agapit, Que. Rizqy received repeated death threats, resulting in a man's arrest. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jacques Boissinot</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/metoo-turns-five--taking-stock-of-gender-based-violence-in-canadian-politics" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Five years ago, women around the world began publicly disclosing their experiences of sexual assault and harassment on social media using the hashtag #MeToo. </p>
<p>This milestone provides us with an opportunity to reflect on how Canada has dealt with its own supposed #<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/world/canada/metoo-sexual-harassment.html">MeToo reckoning</a> and misogyny in Canadian politics more specifically.</p>
<p>The events of 2017 came 11 years after <a href="https://metoomvmt.org/get-to-know-us/tarana-burke-founder/">Tarana Burke</a> founded the #MeToo movement to raise awareness about the violence Black women and girls experience in the United States. The #MeToo hashtag went viral in October 2017 after sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html">became public</a>. </p>
<p>Five years later, what lessons have we learned about gender-based violence in Canadian politics?</p>
<p>The first is that violence and harassment have not abated; if anything, they’ve escalated in the Canadian political sphere.</p>
<p>In response to rising threats and safety concerns for parliamentarians, Canada’s <a href="https://hillnotes.ca/2022/09/15/violence-against-politicians-in-canada-and-internationally/">public safety minister announced</a> in June 2022 that all MPs would receive “panic buttons” to increase their personal security. </p>
<p>During the 2021 federal election, analyses of tweets received by incumbent candidates and party leaders conducted by the <a href="https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.229/z3f.d62.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/SAMBOT-2021-Federal-Election-Snapshot-1.pdf">Samara Centre for Democracy</a> show that 19 per cent were likely toxic, meaning they were uncivil, insulting, hostile, threatening or profane.</p>
<p>While public officials from all backgrounds are being targeted, women, Indigenous, Black, racialized and queer politicians are <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mps-staff-online-hate-security-measures-1.5347221">bearing the brunt</a> of current attacks on Canada’s democracy.</p>
<h2>Freeland accosted</h2>
<p>In August 2022, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9094638/rcmp-investigation-freeland-verbal-attack/">a man cornered Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland</a> and her all-women staff entourage in a city hall elevator in Grande Prairie, Alta. and hurled abuse and profanities at her.</p>
<p>The incident prompted other women politicians to speak out about their own experiences of harassment. </p>
<p>Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek shared <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9094546/calgary-mayor-jyoti-gondek-harassment-fears/">her experiences</a> of harassment on Twitter, while Québec Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy went public with recent <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/man-arrested-for-making-threats-against-liberal-mna-marwah-rizqy">harassment and threats</a> made against her. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1563992273180049409"}"></div></p>
<p>Rizqy has received death threats, including from a man who allegedly <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/death-threats-break-in-candidates-say-they-ve-been-targeted-during-quebec-election-campaign-1.6050302?cache=rsdredfkiqo%3FcontactForm%3Dtrue%3FautoPlay%3Dtrue">called the police to tell them where they could locate her murdered body</a>. She was pregnant at the time. </p>
<p>A few weeks later, an online harassment campaign directed at <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/women-journalists-targeted-in-co-ordinated-campaign-of-hate-canadian-association-of-journalists-1.6045856">women journalists</a> — several of whom are racialized — was underway.</p>
<h2>Threaten violence</h2>
<p>In all of these instances, the harassers invoked violent, misogynistic, racist language, imagery or props as a way to demean, intimidate and threaten their targets.</p>
<p>We’ve also learned that some political leaders seem willing to use the vitriol seeded in our political culture for partisan gain. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491795/original/file-20221026-13-5gbu7p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man with dark hair and glasses speaks." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491795/original/file-20221026-13-5gbu7p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491795/original/file-20221026-13-5gbu7p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491795/original/file-20221026-13-5gbu7p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491795/original/file-20221026-13-5gbu7p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491795/original/file-20221026-13-5gbu7p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491795/original/file-20221026-13-5gbu7p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491795/original/file-20221026-13-5gbu7p.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre rises during Question Period in the House of Commons in October 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In October 2022, Global News reported that a <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9178531/pierre-poilievres-youtube-channel-included-hidden-misogynistic-tag-to-promote-videos/">hidden misogynistic tag</a> was placed on 50 of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s most recent YouTube videos. </p>
<p>The hashtag, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/26/men-going-their-own-way-the-toxic-male-separatist-movement-that-is-now-mainstream">“MGTOW” (men going their own way)</a>, refers to an online anti-feminist movement that advocates for male supremacy. </p>
<p>When pressed on the subject, Poilievre <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-pierre-poilievre-under-fire-for-reported-misogynistic-tags-on-youtube/">condemned all forms of misogyny</a> but did not apologize.</p>
<h2>Silence and exclusion</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/violence-against-women-in-politics/">Academic research</a> shows that when harassment is directed at female politicians, staffers, activists and journalists because they are women, it poses a threat to democracy. </p>
<p>Rutgers University political scientist Mona Lena Krook <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/news/violence-against-women-politics-growing-problem">has argued</a> that the goal of violence against women in politics is to silence and exclude them from public life.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://theconversation.com/another-barrier-for-women-in-politics-violence-113637">my research</a> with the University of Windsor’s Cheryl Collier indicates, violence and harassment in politics are barriers to women in Canadian politics and undermine democratic values like equal representation and participation. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/another-barrier-for-women-in-politics-violence-113637">Another barrier for women in politics: Violence</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>After the 2021 federal election, women held 30.5 per cent of House of Commons seats. Today, Canada <a href="https://data.ipu.org/women-ranking?month=9&year=2022">ranks 61st</a> out of 190 countries in women’s political representation.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of women and one man stand for a photo." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491786/original/file-20221025-18353-9jvwx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2960%2C1617&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491786/original/file-20221025-18353-9jvwx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491786/original/file-20221025-18353-9jvwx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491786/original/file-20221025-18353-9jvwx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491786/original/file-20221025-18353-9jvwx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491786/original/file-20221025-18353-9jvwx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491786/original/file-20221025-18353-9jvwx8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women foreign affairs ministers, including Chrystia Freeland, who was Canada’s foreign affairs minister at the time, pose for a photo at a conference in Montréal in 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Positive developments</h2>
<p>Thankfully, not all of #MeToo’s lessons have been negative, and some positive strides for Canadian women have been made.</p>
<p>In 2018, the federal Liberal government passed a new law, <a href="https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/42-1/c-65?view=progress">Bill C-65</a>, that updates and strengthens existing legislation to prevent and address harassment and violence across all federally regulated workplaces. That includes Parliament.</p>
<p>In response to Bill C-65, the House of Commons and the Senate updated their policies in 2021 to prevent and address violence and harassment. </p>
<p>Since #MeToo, many provincial and territorial legislatures have also adopted either codes of conduct or policies to deal with sexual harassment. </p>
<p>Although these codes and policies are insufficient and additional measures are needed, the media and the public’s attention on workplace harassment and violence since #MeToo have spurred changes within these legislatures.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A large crowd gathers, many wearing pink hats. A sign in the middle reads The Future is Female." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491789/original/file-20221026-11-h5s605.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C1985&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491789/original/file-20221026-11-h5s605.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491789/original/file-20221026-11-h5s605.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491789/original/file-20221026-11-h5s605.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491789/original/file-20221026-11-h5s605.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491789/original/file-20221026-11-h5s605.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491789/original/file-20221026-11-h5s605.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A large crowd gathers at Nathan Phillips Square for the start of the Toronto Women’s March in January 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But more must be done. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in harassment and violence cases need to be prohibited in all organizations and workplaces, including legislatures. Banning NDAs won’t be enough to stop unethical behaviour, however. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxy024">my research</a> with Collier shows, political institutions — which remain mainly white, cis-gendered and male-dominated — need to do more to uproot their sexist, exclusionary cultures. </p>
<p>Lawmakers must adopt strategies to disrupt the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-04-2019-0117">networks of complicity</a>” that protect powerful perpetrators and enable abusive behaviour. Fully impartial, transparent processes that address all forms of violence and impose serious sanctions on those who commit violence or harassment would help.</p>
<h2>Attack on democracy</h2>
<p>The harassment of journalists, political candidates, staff and elected officials by a small faction of the public must also be addressed. </p>
<p>An attack on any political official must be viewed as an attack on Canadian democracy, and should not be tolerated in a free and democratic society.</p>
<p>Finally, political parties must do better at recruiting and electing diverse people to public office. </p>
<p>When the 10-year anniversary of the #MeToo movement arrives in 2027, Canadian democracy will hopefully be strengthened by the steps we take today to end violence and harassment in politics.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192311/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tracey Raney receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>
When harassment is directed at women politicians, staffers, activists and journalists because they are women, it poses a threat to democracy.
Tracey Raney, Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/190640
2022-09-27T17:31:56Z
2022-09-27T17:31:56Z
Not again: Why another federal election may be on the horizon in Canada
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486632/original/file-20220926-25-vz2z3y.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7968%2C4914&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre greet each other as they gather in the House of Commons to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa on Sept. 15, 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-pierre-poilievres-leadership-means-for-the-future-of-the-conservative-party-189845">recent selection of Pierre Poilievre as Conservative leader</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-next-election-plans-1.6225958">Justin Trudeau’s announcement that he will lead the Liberals</a> into the next federal election has started a chain of events that will play out over the next 12 months. </p>
<p>After that Canadians can expect another federal election.</p>
<p>During the past century, <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/minority-government">no minority government has lasted three years</a>; most far less. Trudeau’s current minority isn’t likely to break any longevity record.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2022/03/22/delivering-canadians-now">confidence-and-supply agreement</a> negotiated earlier this year between the Liberals and NDP was aimed at ensuring the Liberal minority governs to 2025. But the agreement isn’t binding, and it will probably falter sooner rather than later. Both parties will want their independence or else <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ndp-liberals-upbeat-about-new-deal-as-some-warn-of-pitfalls-for-the-junior-partner-1.5830686">Poilievre will depict them as interchangeable</a>. </p>
<p>The Conservatives will need a year to develop a new policy platform and adjust to their new leader. The result will likely be a more centrist party than the one that elected Poilievre. That’s because the party has to get votes from those who rejected it in 2021 if it hopes to form the next government. </p>
<h2>Avoiding austerity measures</h2>
<p>The new Conservative platform will likely entail a smaller, and smarter, hand for the state, but probably won’t contain slash-and-burn proposals. No party in recent federal elections has advocated austerity measures.</p>
<p>Similarly, provincial election campaigns, such as <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-election-campaign-approaches-after-tories-table-budget-as-platform-1.5881459">in Ontario earlier this year</a> and <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-quebec-parties-throw-fiscal-caution-to-the-wind/">currently in Québec</a>, show that parties of all stripes are unwilling to run on a platform that explicitly reduces benefits, or even makes realistic proposals for a balanced budget in the short term. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man in a blue shirt high-fives another man holding a child." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486816/original/file-20220927-18-qykuq0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486816/original/file-20220927-18-qykuq0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486816/original/file-20220927-18-qykuq0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486816/original/file-20220927-18-qykuq0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486816/original/file-20220927-18-qykuq0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486816/original/file-20220927-18-qykuq0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486816/original/file-20220927-18-qykuq0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">François Legault, head of the Coalition Avenir Québec, greets supporters after casting his ballot in L'Assomption, Que. ahead of the provincial election on Oct. 3.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Trudeau’s Liberals will probably shift to the right over the next year, seeking to occupy as much of the political spectrum as possible by squeezing the NDP on the left and the Conservatives on the right. The party will work hard to demonstrate to voters that it is a sound steward of economic prosperity.</p>
<p>Both parties will prioritize urban voters in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver. Election after election has shown that as long as most ridings in these cities vote Liberal, the party cannot be denied power, either as a majority or minority. </p>
<p>An early move by Conservatives to shore up support in voter-rich Ontario is the hiring of the executive director of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party, Mike Crase, as the new <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2022/09/16/poilievre-turns-to-ontario-pc-to-run-federal-conservatives.html">executive director of the federal Conservatives</a>.</p>
<h2>Weak, rudderless?</h2>
<p>Once a year is up, the current minority government may totter on its last legs. That’s because if the Liberals shift to the right, the NDP will have less reason to support the minority government. And Trudeau will likely be loath to be portrayed by Poilievre as being in bed with the NDP. It will be easy for the Conservatives to paint Trudeau as weak, rudderless and only in power due to the NDP. </p>
<p>Once 2023 rolls around, Trudeau will probably be eager to battle the still inexperienced Poilievre. At the same time, the new leader of the opposition will likely savour the opportunity to take on a prime minister seeking a fourth mandate. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Two men, one in blue boxing gear and the other in red, fight in a boxing ring." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486813/original/file-20220927-26-bc6a7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486813/original/file-20220927-26-bc6a7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486813/original/file-20220927-26-bc6a7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486813/original/file-20220927-26-bc6a7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486813/original/file-20220927-26-bc6a7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486813/original/file-20220927-26-bc6a7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486813/original/file-20220927-26-bc6a7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Conservative Sen. Patrick Brazeau and Justin Trudeau, then Liberal leader, fight in a charity boxing match in March 2012 in Ottawa. Trudeau stopped Brazeau in the third round.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Neither will have any reason to prefer waiting another two years before seeking a mandate from voters. Like boxers who spar as long as they can, they will be <a href="https://www.tvo.org/article/the-faceoff-between-poilievre-and-trudeau-will-be-one-for-the-history-books">keen to strike a knockout punch as soon as the opportunity arises</a>.</p>
<p>The Conservatives and the Liberals will both paint the election as a referendum between stark opposites, even if their election platforms probably won’t be very dissimilar. </p>
<p>With higher interest rates <a href="https://angusreid.org/inflation-bank-of-canada-grocery-prices/">and soaring inflation</a>, all parties will position themselves as guardians of the well-being of the middle class and working Canadians. It is via this guardianship that the parties will seek to differentiate themselves and appeal to specific groups of voters.</p>
<p>In calling another election the Liberals, as the incumbents, would control the exact timing. Of the past five elections, four were held in September or October. Elections during these months permit campaigning during pleasant late summer and early fall weather and don’t interfere with the summer plans of voters. Late spring elections are also common for the same reasons. </p>
<h2>The unknowns</h2>
<p>Of course, in political life there’s always uncertainty. Like his father did, Trudeau might go for <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/trudeaus-third-walk-in-the-snow">a walk in the snow</a> this winter and conclude that 15 years as MP, 10 years as Liberal leader and nearly eight as prime minister is enough. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486825/original/file-20220927-26-2rcud8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A blonde woman is seen in partial profile as she speaks." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486825/original/file-20220927-26-2rcud8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486825/original/file-20220927-26-2rcud8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486825/original/file-20220927-26-2rcud8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486825/original/file-20220927-26-2rcud8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486825/original/file-20220927-26-2rcud8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486825/original/file-20220927-26-2rcud8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486825/original/file-20220927-26-2rcud8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If so, Trudeau might delay the next election as long as possible to provide time for a successor, such as Chrystia Freeland or Mélanie Joly, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/26/melanie-joly-justin-trudeau-canada-00058748">to assume the party’s leadership</a>. </p>
<p>Or a scandal might threaten one of the party leaders. </p>
<p>Less likely, but not entirely improbable, is a splintering of the Conservative party along ideological lines. A natural disaster or international events could also change the calculus and delay the next election.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, an election in the fall of 2023 or spring of 2024 is probably what Canadians can expect — or dread.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Klassen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Canadians went to the polls twice in two years, in 2019 and 2021. Here’s why yet another federal election likely looms in the fall of 2023 or the spring of 2024.
Thomas Klassen, Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University, Canada
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/159103
2021-04-22T14:39:49Z
2021-04-22T14:39:49Z
Earth Day 2021: Canada’s latest budget falls dangerously short on climate action
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396605/original/file-20210422-16-13kmglw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5512%2C4000&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada's latest federal budget did little to tackle climate action or income inequality, two problems with strong ties. Alberta's Bow Lake is seen in this photo.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Josh Woroniecki/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.budget.gc.ca/2021/home-accueil-en.html">The 724-page federal budget</a> made vital spending commitments to extend supports to Canadians as the pandemic shock waves continue. It also made critical social safety net improvements, most notably <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-budget-2021-7-actions-to-ensure-canadas-child-care-plan-is-about-education-159191">universal child care</a> and increases in old age security and supports for eldercare. </p>
<p>But where is the road map to reduce Canada’s carbon emissions? If we are to have a serious chance of meeting net-zero targets by 2050, Canada must phase out fossil fuel production and use, eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and financing, and end all carbon-emitting activity. This is especially true given that Canada provides more <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2020/05/27/g20-still-digging/">public finance to the fossil fuel sector per capita</a> than any other G20 country.</p>
<p>In a paper for the Cascade Institute, University of Waterloo academics Angela Carter and Truzar Dordi <a href="https://cascadeinstitute.org/technical-paper/correcting-canadas-one-eye-shut-climate-policy/">have calculated</a>, based on government projections, that fossil fuel production in Canada is scheduled to rise until 2039 and remain above current levels in 2050. They conclude that Canada, with 0.5 per cent of the world’s population, would exhaust 16 per cent of the world’s remaining carbon budget to maintain emissions below 1.5C.</p>
<h2>Green economy funding</h2>
<p>The 2021 budget provides major funding of $17.6 billion for the transition to a green economy, including $319 million over the next seven years for research and development for potentially problematic <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/04/21/news/trudeaus-wager-carbon-capture-budget-2021">carbon capture and storage</a>. </p>
<p>It earmarks $1 billion over five years to attract private capital to clean tech industries, and a $5 billion green bond issue in this fiscal year to fund infrastructure, clean tech and conservation projects. This is in addition to $3.4 billion — the bulk of it for departmental funding — over five years for land waterways and ocean conservation. It also allocates $4.4 billion in interest-free loans to landlords and homeowners for home retrofits.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Freeland delivers the budget as Trudeau sits beside her reading the document." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396391/original/file-20210421-13-1scdp3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=37%2C0%2C4176%2C2750&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396391/original/file-20210421-13-1scdp3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396391/original/file-20210421-13-1scdp3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396391/original/file-20210421-13-1scdp3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396391/original/file-20210421-13-1scdp3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396391/original/file-20210421-13-1scdp3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396391/original/file-20210421-13-1scdp3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland delivers the federal budget in the House of Commons as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on in Ottawa on April 19, 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But there are no mandated requirements to ensure those getting the funding meet the government’s zero emissions goal — simply lots of carrots, but no sticks. All of this is consistent with what the <a href="https://thebusinesscouncil.ca/report/clean-growth-3-0/">big business</a> lobby was demanding. The words “climate,” climate change" and “climate crisis,” in fact, did not appear once in the finance minister’s speech.</p>
<p>Canada’s climate emissions <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/02/04/analysis/canada-pledges-strengthen-2030-climate-targets">have risen 26 per cent since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol</a>. By comparison, American emissions have remained stable and the European Union’s emissions have declined 25 per cent from the Kyoto accord’s 1990 baseline. Even during the past five years, while the Liberals have been in power, Canada’s emissions have continued to creep up.</p>
<h2>Canada vs. the EU</h2>
<p>The government did announce a new target in the budget. It aims to reduce emissions to 36 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. Reportedly <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/trudeau-pressured-to-adopt-tougher-emissions-target-for-biden-climate-summit-1.5396326">under pressure from the Americans</a>, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a further reduction to between <a href="https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2021/04/22/prime-minister-trudeau-announces-increased-climate-ambition">40 and 45 per cent</a> at the U.S.-sponsored Earth Day climate summit. </p>
<p>Yet this still amounts to only a 20-22 per cent reduction since the 1990 Kyoto baseline. The EU, meantime, has <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/11/eu-leaders-agree-on-55percent-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reduction-target.html">strengthened its pledge to reduce emissions 55 per cent below its 1990 levels</a>. Globally, the target needs to be about 25 per cent below 1990 levels for a chance of maintaining temperatures at 1.5C. Given Canada’s record of broken promises, skepticism about its ability to meet these commitments is understandable. </p>
<p>There was also scant action in the budget on tackling income disparities, <a href="https://www.sei.org/publications/the-carbon-inequality-era/">even though the link between carbon emissions and inequality</a> is striking. The world’s richest families have a disproportionate impact on climate. In 2015, <a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity">the top one per cent accounted for 15 per cent of global emissions</a>, almost half of them from North America. The top 10 per cent accounted for more than half of global emissions, almost a third from North America. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People lie on the ground while taking part in a climate action protest" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396392/original/file-20210421-19-r74jia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396392/original/file-20210421-19-r74jia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396392/original/file-20210421-19-r74jia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396392/original/file-20210421-19-r74jia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396392/original/file-20210421-19-r74jia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396392/original/file-20210421-19-r74jia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396392/original/file-20210421-19-r74jia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People lie on the ground while taking part in a die-in outside the B.C. Supreme Court as part of a climate action demonstration in Vancouver in February 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Canada, <a href="https://oxfam.app.box.com/s/gsrhhjkee8p3630fp21a3k1y3pz1ozjo">the richest 0.1 per cent emitted 136 tonnes of CO2 per capita in 2015</a>. The bottom 50 per cent of Canadians in terms of income, by comparison, emitted only seven tonnes of CO2 that year.</p>
<h2>No wealth tax</h2>
<p>Last September’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-throne-speech-must-blaze-a-bold-new-path-including-imposing-a-wealth-tax-145747">speech from the throne</a> promised to “identify additional ways to tax extreme wealth inequality.” </p>
<p>But there was no wealth tax on the super-rich in the budget, no increase in the top income tax bracket or the capital gains tax, no surtax on billionaires disproportionately profiting from the pandemic despite the fact that, a year into the crisis, <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/one-year-pandemic-canadian-billionaire-wealth-78-billion">Canadian billionaire wealth</a> was up by $78 billion.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-throne-speech-must-blaze-a-bold-new-path-including-imposing-a-wealth-tax-145747">The throne speech must blaze a bold new path — including imposing a wealth tax</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The top <a href="https://www.pbo-dpb.gc.ca/en/blog/news/RP-2021-007-S--estimating-top-tail-family-wealth-distribution-in-canada--estimation-queue-superieure-distribution-patrimoine-familial-au-canada">one per cent of Canada’s income earners hold 26 per cent of Canadian wealth</a>. The top 10 per cent hold 56.4 per cent of family wealth, while the bottom 50 per cent of Canadians hold a negligible 1.2 per cent of total family wealth. The budget announced <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/budget-tax-1.5993593">a few boutique taxes</a> for the very wealthy and limits on interest deductibility. That’s about it.</p>
<p>The aforementioned social spending commitments could greatly improve the living conditions for low- to middle-income households and vulnerable populations, but they’ll barely make a dent in bringing down overall income and wealth inequality to where it stood in the early 1980s. Between <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/75-years-of-income-inequality-canada">1982 and 2018, average incomes for the top one per cent doubled</a> in Canada, with most of those income gains going to the top 0.01 per cent. Average real income for the bottom half of Canada’s income earners declined during the same period.</p>
<h2>No clampdown on banks</h2>
<p>Canadian financial institutions, rife with one of the <a href="https://www.desmog.com/2021/04/06/revealed-climate-conflicted-directors-leading-the-worlds-top-banks/">world’s most “climate-conflicted bank directors,”</a> continue to lend massive amounts of money to the fossil fuel sector. The world’s biggest 60 banks, including four of the big five Canadian banks, have provided US$3.8 trillion of financing for fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate accord came into effect in 2016, according to the <a href="https://www.ran.org/bankingonclimatechaos2021/">Banking on Climate Chaos 2021</a> report.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Bank building in Toronto's financial district." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396393/original/file-20210421-23-1dr12ci.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/396393/original/file-20210421-23-1dr12ci.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396393/original/file-20210421-23-1dr12ci.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396393/original/file-20210421-23-1dr12ci.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396393/original/file-20210421-23-1dr12ci.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396393/original/file-20210421-23-1dr12ci.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/396393/original/file-20210421-23-1dr12ci.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bank buildings are seen in Toronto’s financial district in June 2018. There’s no indication in the budget that the federal government will curb bank financing of the fossil fuel industry.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet there’s nothing in the budget to indicate that the Bank of Canada and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions will clamp down on lending to the fossil fuel industry.</p>
<p>Global corporate tax rates have plummeted over the past four decades, including in Canada. The average worldwide statutory corporate tax rate fell <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/publications/corporate-tax-rates-around-the-world/">from 40 per cent in 1980 to 24 per cent in 2020</a>. </p>
<p>In the United States, the Joe Biden administration <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/31/biden-infrastructure-plan-includes-corporate-tax-hike-transportation-spending.html">has unveiled</a> a plan to raise American corporate tax rates to 28 per cent from 21 per cent. </p>
<p>But there was no increase in Canadian corporate rates in this budget. Nor does the budget mandate carbon reduction targets for corporations that receive government funding, continuing to let private sector’s <a href="https://www.bairdeurope.com/Is-ESG-Investing-Making-a-Difference">environmental, social and governance [ESG]</a> investment fund initiatives take the lead, even though they invariably <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/wall-street-finance-blackrock-oil-greenwashing-b1819272.html">favour profit over climate</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sustainability-rankings-dont-always-identify-sustainable-companies-157023">Sustainability rankings don't always identify sustainable companies</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The snail’s pace of action in this year’s federal budget is out of step with the urgency of the climate and income inequality crises. </p>
<p>It’s done nothing to threaten <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305569/plutocrats-by-chrystia-freeland/">the plutocracy’s</a> hold on power and privilege. Most disconcerting, Canada remains an outlier in the global effort to prevent the slide towards the climate abyss.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159103/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bruce Campbell is affiliated with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Group of 78, the Rideau Institute for International Affairs, and the Polaris Institute</span></em></p>
The snail’s pace of action in this year’s federal budget on climate is out of step with the urgency of the climate and income inequality crises.
Bruce Campbell, Adjunct professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Canada
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/150995
2020-12-06T13:17:45Z
2020-12-06T13:17:45Z
Canada’s fiscal update falls short in facing climate change and income inequality
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372901/original/file-20201203-15-tiu8bz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=115%2C0%2C3194%2C1891&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland gets a fist bump from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after delivering the 2020 fiscal update in the House of Commons on Nov. 30, 2020. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal Liberal government came to office five years ago promising “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-reform-real-change-analysis-wherry-1.4162122">real change</a>,” including action on the climate crisis and unprecedented wealth and income inequality.</p>
<p>Justin Trudeau was re-elected in 2019 reiterating these same promises. But shortly after his second mandate began, the country — and the world — was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>After proroguing Parliament in the summer of 2020, the federal government released a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/campaigns/speech-throne/2020/speech-from-the-throne.html">speech from the throne</a> in late September that made a series of promises on where it wanted to take the country. The plan would be fleshed out in part, the government said, in the fiscal update. </p>
<p>It just released <a href="https://www.budget.gc.ca/fes-eea/2020/report-rapport/toc-tdm-en.html">the 237-page update</a>, outlining next steps in confronting three interwoven crises: the pandemic, inequality and climate.</p>
<h2>The pandemic</h2>
<p>The government has provided direct support for Canadian families and businesses totalling $270 billion thus far, with another $200 billion in credit and loan support. Once the pandemic crisis has passed, the fiscal update commits an additional $70 billion to $100 billion over three years for a “feminist,” “inclusive” and “sustainable” recovery, in the words of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.</p>
<p>Though far from perfect, the government clearly gets a passing grade on its efforts to address the pandemic, providing income support for laid-off workers, shuttered businesses, the elderly and other vulnerable members of society. Without this support, those affected, almost all of whom at the bottom half of the income ladder, would have suffered even more dramatically from income inequality.</p>
<p>The fiscal update projects the debt-to-GDP ratio peaking at 52.6 per cent in the next two years. The deficit scare-mongers have come out in full force. These powerful purveyors of what <a href="https://afhimelfarb.wordpress.com/2020/11/19/dont-panic-debt-can-build-a-better-world/">Alex Himelfarb, former clerk of the Privy Council</a>, calls “deficit derangement syndrome,” have for years pedalled false narratives about the evils of deficits.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Chrystia Freeland gestures while speaking in the House of Commons." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372907/original/file-20201203-17-u1wg8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372907/original/file-20201203-17-u1wg8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372907/original/file-20201203-17-u1wg8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372907/original/file-20201203-17-u1wg8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372907/original/file-20201203-17-u1wg8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372907/original/file-20201203-17-u1wg8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372907/original/file-20201203-17-u1wg8x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Freeland delivers the 2020 fiscal update in the House of Commons, noting that the debt-to-GDP ratio will peak at 52.6 per cent over the next two years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s worth recalling that at the end of the Second World War, the debt-to-GDP ratio was 150 per cent, three times the current level. No one complained then.</p>
<p>Years of government austerity have played role in the rise of household debt now equivalent to <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/canada/households-debt-to-gdp">106 per cent of GDP</a>. Cutting program spending in the name of fiscal responsibility would raise household debt levels, adversely affecting low- and middle-income Canadians.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-for-june-7-2020-1.5594627/no-need-to-worry-about-a-deficit-when-the-government-can-print-money-say-some-economists-1.5594636">The Bank of Canada</a> has funded the large majority of government borrowing during the pandemic and will continue to do so. Governments rarely pay back this debt to the money-creating institution they own. The debt incurred during the Second World War, for example, was never paid back.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-government-deficits-fund-private-savings-113964">How government deficits fund private savings</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Money creation, while essential, exacerbates inequality because it tends to increase stock prices, which are held almost exclusively by the richest. Measures in the fiscal update to prevent the floor from falling out from beneath the bottom 50 per cent of Canadian taxpayers, while critically important, do nothing to rein in the wealth at the top. Hence the need for fiscal measures, specifically progressive taxation measures.</p>
<h2>The inequality crisis</h2>
<p>The pandemic has exposed the corrosive underbelly of inequality. The last four decades have funnelled income and wealth upward to a level not seen since the late 1920s — exacerbating insecurity, poverty and suffering for many.</p>
<p>Freeland wrote a book a few years ago about the rise of the wealthy class or the one per cent, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305569/plutocrats-by-chrystia-freeland/">aptly named <em>Plutocrats</em></a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chrystia-freeland-the-erosion-of-middle-class-jobs-and-incomes-in-canada-is-finally-being-exposed">She wrote:</a> </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Rising income, inequality and a hollowed-out middle class are the dominant social and political challenges facing our generation.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Those at the top of the wealth and power pyramid have waged, in Freeland’s words, “successful political efforts … to tilt the rules of the game in their favour.”</p>
<p>The richest one per cent currently <a href="https://www.pbo-dpb.gc.ca/web/default/files/Documents/Reports/RP-2021-007-S/RP-2021-007-S_en.pdf">hold more than a quarter</a> of Canada’s total wealth. Though not as extreme as wealth inequality, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/blog/piketty/2020/11/17/global-inequalities-where-do-we-stand/">the one per cent hold 15 per cent of national income</a>, almost as much as the bottom 50 per cent of the population. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.taxfairness.ca/sites/default/files/resource/canadian_for_tax_fairness_-_billionaires_report_2020_final.pdf">A new report by Canadians for Tax Fairness reveals</a> Canada’s leading 44 billionaires grew their fortunes by $53 billion, or 28 per cent, from April to October 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. Canada’s club of 100 billionaires now has as much wealth as the 12 million poorest Canadians.</p>
<p>Such levels of inequality produce cynicism and desperation, corroding democracy, which in extreme cases can lead to political upheavals like <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/19/philosophy-in-the-shadow-of-nazism">occurred Europe in the 1930s</a>.</p>
<p>What has the government done in the fiscal update to address wealth inequality? With a couple of exceptions — such as ending stock option deductions — not much. Measures like wealth and estate taxes, restrictions on tax avoidance via offshore tax havens and reforms to the capital gains tax are conspicuous by their absence.</p>
<h2>The climate crisis</h2>
<p>The government has continued to acknowledge the severity of the climate crisis in the fiscal update. It’s reiterated its intention to exceed existing 2030 emissions targets of 15 per cent below 2005 levels, apparently aware of the warning contained in the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/">IPCC Special Report on 1.5 C</a> that the world had 12 years to make deep emissions reductions — <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/">45 per cent below 2010 levels</a> — by 2030 to prevent irreversible planetary climate damage.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Dozens of young people lie on the floor of a food court." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372912/original/file-20201203-17-16qua38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/372912/original/file-20201203-17-16qua38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372912/original/file-20201203-17-16qua38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372912/original/file-20201203-17-16qua38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372912/original/file-20201203-17-16qua38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372912/original/file-20201203-17-16qua38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/372912/original/file-20201203-17-16qua38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young people participating in a ‘die-in’ climate action protest lie on the floor in the food court of a shopping centre in downtown Vancouver in September 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While the fiscal update has put forward substantive measures that move the country in the right direction, those measures don’t on their own provide assurances that the government will meet its still unannounced 2030 targets on the way to net zero emissions by 2050.</p>
<h2>Hope on the horizon</h2>
<p>The pace of government action to date does not align with the urgency of the twin climate and inequality crises. Nothing it has done so far is threatening to the corporate plutocracy and its hold on power. </p>
<p>Archeologist Ronald Wright examined the rise and fall of a handful of past civilizations in his prescient <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/the-2004-cbc-massey-lectures-a-short-history-of-progress-1.2946872">2004 Massey lectures, published as <em>The Short History of Progress</em></a>. These civilizations fell into what he calls progress traps: a chain of technological advances which, beyond a certain point, led to their collapses.</p>
<p>A common trait of these failed civilizations was the concentration of wealth and power at the top, which clouded their ability to foresee the danger until it was too late given their vested interest in the status quo.</p>
<p>The <em>Short History of Progress</em> is a cautionary tale written in the belief that the knowledge we have about past failures can enable us to avoid the global apocalypse facing us now. Therein lies hope. But hope must be twinned with widespread citizen mobilization to push political leadership through the barrier of climate denialism to transformative action.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150995/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bruce Campbell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The pace of federal government action to date does not align with the urgency of the twin climate and inequality crises. The latest fiscal update doesn’t go far enough on either crisis.
Bruce Campbell, Adjunct professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Canada
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/145912
2020-09-21T17:17:03Z
2020-09-21T17:17:03Z
Will Chrystia Freeland lead a feminist post-coronavirus recovery?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358842/original/file-20200918-20-1sismy2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C956%2C5813%2C2600&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A sign of things to come? Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, centre, is seen with Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand, right, and Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Small Business and Export Promotion, left, and Health Minister Patty Hajdu on the video screen.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With Chrystia Freeland now holding the reins of the ministry of finance and Canada’s post-pandemic recovery plan, it’s time to ask whether the first woman — and feminist — to lead the portfolio will push for significant advances for gender equality. </p>
<p>Freeland was appointed finance minister in August 2020 after Bill Morneau’s <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2020/08/17/bill-morneau-resigns-as-finance-minister/">swift departure</a>, marking the first time in Canadian history that a woman has landed the job. The daughter of <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2019/06/remarks-by-the-honourable-chrystia-freeland-minister-of-foreign-affairs-at-the-association-of-women-in-international-trade-wiit-2019-annual-awards-.html">a feminist activist</a> from northern Alberta, Freeland is also an <a href="https://twitter.com/cafreeland/status/1088570242677334019?lang=en">avowed feminist</a> herself — and so is her boss, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1088570242677334019"}"></div></p>
<p>In her past role as foreign affairs and international trade minister, Freeland supported feminist policies like <a href="https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/priorities-priorites/policy-politique.aspx?lang=eng#1">Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy</a>. She has now envisioned a “<a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/freeland-trudeau-push-for-green-recovery-as-finance-portfolio-changes-hands-1.1482039">green and equitable</a>” recovery to a crisis that has <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/women-employment-covid-economy-1.5685463">disproportionately affected women</a>, signalling that she might push for advances to gender equality. </p>
<p>But there are reasons to be skeptical. </p>
<h2>Trudeau’s feminism questioned</h2>
<p>Freeland will be working closely with Trudeau, whose own feminist credentials are increasingly under scrutiny. During his first campaign as Liberal leader, Trudeau touted his feminism proudly — remember “Because it’s 2015”? — only to bury the topic during his bid for re-election last year.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o8OOIU7xQrk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Trudeau explains his gender-balanced cabinet in 2015. (The Canadian Press)</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That may have been due to <a href="https://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/headline-politics/episodes/65964247/">the departures</a> of star cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, which sparked <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-feminist-wilson-raybould-philpott-1.5082634">a conversation</a> about Trudeau’s feminism. </p>
<p>Several times, it has been noted that the prime minister’s use of progressive language <a href="https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2018/02/09/Peoplekind-Painful-And-Goofy-Example-Of-Trudeau-Hollowness/">does not reflect his government’s actions</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/trudeaus-response-to-the-snc-lavalin-affair-shows-structural-misogyny-in-action-122012">Trudeau's response to the SNC-Lavalin affair shows structural misogyny in action</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We recently published <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2020.1781315">a study</a> based on an analysis of three years of official speeches by the prime minister and found that Trudeau rarely spoke from a feminist standpoint: gender equality and mentions of women’s rights were largely contained and limited by the discourse of economic prosperity. </p>
<p>Overall, we found that Trudeau’s understanding of feminism appears to align with “<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-neoliberalism-colonised-feminism-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-94856">neoliberal feminism</a>,” a form of feminism that focuses primarily on women’s economic empowerment as a means to achieve gender equality. </p>
<p>Neoliberalism is mostly marked by trade liberalization, deregulation and privatization of government services. It emphasizes economic prosperity as the ultimate measure of success, treating individuals as taxpayers or service users, rather than citizens.</p>
<p>Our paper highlights at least three ways in which neoliberal feminism is problematic. These may be relevant in questioning Freeland’s own feminist stance. </p>
<h2>Structural barriers ignored</h2>
<p>First, neoliberal feminism is based on the notion that individual empowerment is the highest form of citizenship. And so neoliberal feminists propose that as long as women have the same access to economic empowerment as men, they should be able to achieve full equality. </p>
<p>This view allows society to ignore the need to address deep structural barriers to substantive equality such as discrimination on the basis of race, ability, nationality and so on. </p>
<p>Second, the idea that women are best emancipated through economic empowerment tends to speak only to a certain group of them: The famous book <a href="https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/12/6/18128838/michelle-obama-lean-in-sheryl-sandberg"><em>Lean In</em></a>, by Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, might have been well-received by privileged women and those climbing corporate ladders across the globe, but women in lower socio-economic ranks simply don’t have access to this type of individualist pursuit of success. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="Sheryl Sandberg speaks into a microphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358852/original/file-20200918-24-1ram10x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358852/original/file-20200918-24-1ram10x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358852/original/file-20200918-24-1ram10x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358852/original/file-20200918-24-1ram10x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358852/original/file-20200918-24-1ram10x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358852/original/file-20200918-24-1ram10x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358852/original/file-20200918-24-1ram10x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg is seen in Washington in September 2018 testifying on Capitol Hill about foreign influence in the 2016 presidential election.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What’s more, no amount of leaning in would help most women of colour, transgendered persons, undocumented migrants or so many others overcome the very real barriers that they face in the workplace. </p>
<p>Finally, the type of casual approach that accompanies neoliberal feminism tends to gender-neutralize issues that are very much about gender, such as child care. </p>
<p>Overall, gender-neutralization works in much the same way as colour-blindness has worked when addressing questions of race and justice (in other words, <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-race-and-justice-colour-blindness-is-not-good-enough-106250">not well</a>). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-race-and-justice-colour-blindness-is-not-good-enough-106250">When it comes to race and justice, 'colour-blindness' is not good enough</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Women become invisible</h2>
<p>Neoliberalism has turned childcare into a question of children’s rights and success while <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78714-483-520171011">ignoring its importance for women</a>.</p>
<p>Another example of gender-neutralization is violence against Indigenous women and girls. To Trudeau’s credit, our study did find that he tends to address this issue head on.</p>
<p><a href="https://ojs.unbc.ca/index.php/cpsr/article/view/383">Studies have found</a> that if women-specific issues are not tackled as such, then women become invisible in policy-making.</p>
<p>There is no question that the Trudeau government has made efforts to bring a feminist lens to various files. The prime minister’s commitment to appointing women to important positions has had <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/fake-feminist-trudeaus-track-record-for-appointing-women-looks-real/">a positive effect</a>; major policies have taken feminism into account, particularly in foreign affairs. </p>
<p>But Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, which both Trudeau and Freeland support, uses feminism as a conduit for economic ends rather than considering gender equality an end on its own. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Freeland and Trudeau bump elbows." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358853/original/file-20200918-24-1daq1lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358853/original/file-20200918-24-1daq1lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358853/original/file-20200918-24-1daq1lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358853/original/file-20200918-24-1daq1lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358853/original/file-20200918-24-1daq1lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358853/original/file-20200918-24-1daq1lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358853/original/file-20200918-24-1daq1lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Freeland elbow bumps Trudeau after being sworn in as finance minister at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Aug. 18, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This type of framework is gaining strength. Championed by global organizations like the World Bank, it proposes that women’s empowerment makes “<a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/why-gender-equality-doing-business-makes-good-economic-sense">good business sense</a>” for countries. The problem is that, in this view, women end up as little more than a resource in the toolbox for economic prosperity. Our study confirms this point. </p>
<p>How, and how often, Freeland will apply her view of feminism in her new role remains to be seen. As the finance minister of a G7 nation, Freeland has entered <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1789372995542">a club of political leaders</a> whose entire world view has been shaped by neoliberalism. </p>
<p>But if she wants a truly equitable recovery, Freeland will have to find a way out of this neoliberal straitjacket.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145912/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
As the finance minister of a G7 nation, Chrystia Freeland has entered a club of political leaders whose entire world view is shaped by neoliberalism. Will she find a way to promote real feminism?
Gabriela Perdomo, PhD Candidate, Department of Communication, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Pascale Dangoisse, PhD candidate, Department of Communication, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/145747
2020-09-09T16:03:32Z
2020-09-09T16:03:32Z
The throne speech must blaze a bold new path — including imposing a wealth tax
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357065/original/file-20200908-16-1nt1l3k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C165%2C4613%2C2928&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on as Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland responds to a question during a news conference on Parliament Hill in August 2020. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The speech from the throne is only weeks away. Moments like these — pandemics, depressions, wars — are historical turning points, often marking a time period when fundamental change toward social and economic equality become possible.</p>
<p>Unlike the apparently failed state south of the border that seems to be trudging toward a dystopian future, the federal government has implemented a commendable, if imperfect, plan to protect Canadians’ health and safety, support unemployed workers and help struggling businesses in this time of pandemic-induced shock.</p>
<p>Longer term, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to rebuild the economy, address inequality and take bold action on the climate emergency. <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/chrystia-freeland-the-erosion-of-middle-class-jobs-and-incomes-in-canada-is-finally-being-exposed">Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has written</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Rising income inequality and a hollowed-out middle class are the dominant social and political challenge facing our generation.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Will they follow through on these promises? Or will they appease the people who derive their power from wealth — or plutocrats, as Freeland called them in her <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305569/plutocrats-by-chrystia-freeland/">book of the same name</a> — and ultimately acquiesce to the parameters they set on what kind of change is acceptable?</p>
<p>So far there has been no mention of a wealth tax or an increase in the income tax rate for the wealthiest Canadians, the rebuilding of the badly frayed social safety net or the expansion of universal health care, notably via universal public pharmacare. Nor have there been any bold measures to decarbonize the economy that align with the government’s net-zero 2050 target.</p>
<h2>Debt, deficit drumbeats</h2>
<p>Corporate mouthpieces are beating the austerity drums, warning about rampant debt and deficits. <a href="https://thebusinesscouncil.ca/news/hyder-clear-fiscal-targets-are-needed/">The Business Council of Canada</a> is urging the government to set clear fiscal targets and rein in spending to control the debt.</p>
<p>The Fitch credit rating agency — which in 2007 disastrously rated sub-prime mortgage bonds as Triple A, a contributing factor to the global financial crisis — has downgraded <a href="https://www.advisor.ca/news/economic/fitch-downgrades-canadas-aaa-rating-says-rating-outlook-is-stable/">Canada’s credit rating</a> due to the “deterioration of Canada’s public finances.” It’s also given a nod to Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole’s pledge to balance the budget.</p>
<p>As a result of government spending, the <a href="https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2020/08/28/the-challenges-of-post-covid-budget-planning/#.X1fnM3tE1N0">debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to rise to 50 per cent</a> this year and next. That’s paltry compared to its rise to 130 per cent during the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/05/20/lets-not-be-duped-again-by-deficit-hawks-peddling-austerity.html">Second World War</a>. No one complained then. There was a war to fight.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357066/original/file-20200908-24-1jg7wqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man wearing glasses with Canadian flags as a backdrop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357066/original/file-20200908-24-1jg7wqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357066/original/file-20200908-24-1jg7wqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357066/original/file-20200908-24-1jg7wqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357066/original/file-20200908-24-1jg7wqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357066/original/file-20200908-24-1jg7wqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357066/original/file-20200908-24-1jg7wqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357066/original/file-20200908-24-1jg7wqh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem is seen during a news conference in July 2020 in Ottawa.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.investmentexecutive.com/news/research-and-markets/breaking-down-the-bocs-quantitative-easing-program/">The Bank of Canada has been aggressively engaged in quantitative easing</a> — creating money by purchasing government debt at virtually zero interest rates — to prevent an even deeper tanking of the economy.</p>
<p>It should continue to do so — <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/the-sunday-edition-for-june-7-2020-1.5594627/no-need-to-worry-about-a-deficit-when-the-government-can-print-money-say-some-economists-1.5594636">notwithstanding the rising deficits and debt ratio</a> — in order to rebuild a fragmented economy and social state and lead the green transition. Japan has been doing this for years, with the Bank of Japan owning the bulk of government debt.</p>
<p>As Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman wrote earlier this year: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/27/opinion/republicans-deficits-coronavirus.html">The only fiscal thing to fear is deficit fear itself</a>.”</p>
<p>This is not to say that the government can run fiscal deficits indefinitely. Federal tax revenues have fallen as a share of GDP over the past 30 to 40 years. <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/08/21/opinion/chrystia-freelands-golden-opportunity">Corporate tax rates, as a share taxable income, are half what they were 25 years ago</a>. They need to be rebuilt.</p>
<h2>Income gap grows</h2>
<p>Income and wealth inequality have risen to unprecedented levels over the past four decades. The pandemic has laid bare the consequences of this new gilded age.</p>
<p>In 1971, the top marginal <a href="https://www.ctf.ca/ctfweb/Documents/PDF/1995ctj/1995CTJ5_02_Smith.pdf">income tax rates were as high as 80 per cent in Canada</a>. </p>
<p>Tax brackets have been reduced from 17 to four. More importantly, the bulk of the wealthiest Canadians’ incomes are not from wages, but from their <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/08/22/why-do-canadas-wealthiest-families-get-huge-tax-breaks.html">share holdings</a>, which are taxed as capital gains at very low levels and only kick in when shares are sold.</p>
<p>Median household income in Canada <a href="https://irpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/What%E2%80%99s-So-Bad-about-Increasing-Inequality-in-Canada.pdf">has remained flat since 1982</a>, while the average income of the richest one per cent has increased dramatically, doubling between 1982 and 2010 and widening further over the last decade.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Two men in suits, one grey-haired and the other wearing glasses, stand smiling for the camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357067/original/file-20200908-14-vxylif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357067/original/file-20200908-14-vxylif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357067/original/file-20200908-14-vxylif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357067/original/file-20200908-14-vxylif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357067/original/file-20200908-14-vxylif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357067/original/file-20200908-14-vxylif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357067/original/file-20200908-14-vxylif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Galen Weston Jr., right, Loblaw Companies Ltd. executive chairman, poses with and his father Galen Weston Sr., at the company’s annual general meeting in Toronto in May 2010. The Westons are among the richest families in Canada.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>According to recent estimates by the <a href="https://www.pbo-dpb.gc.ca/web/default/files/Documents/Reports/RP-2021-007-S/RP-2021-007-S_en.pdf">Parliamentary Budget Officer</a>, the top one per cent of Canadian families hold 25 per cent of total family wealth. </p>
<p>The bottom 40 per cent of families hold basically no wealth, while the 1,000 richest families have some $325 billion in combined wealth. This contrasts with the total $3 billion combined wealth held by 12.8 million Canadian families. True to form, the <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/taxcoop-top-5-richest-canadian-billionaires-during-the-canadian-covid-19-lockdown-849047486.html">five richest billionaires</a> in Canada saw their wealth increase by nine per cent in the first three months of the pandemic.</p>
<h2>Tax avoidance</h2>
<p>The system has created massive opportunities for tax avoidance by the richest Canadians and large corporations. <a href="https://www.taxfairness.ca/sites/default/files/resource/canadians_for_tax_fairness_top_tax_havens_report_july_2020.pdf">Canadian corporate assets</a> in the leading 12 offshore tax havens reached $381 billion in 2019. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.taxfairness.ca/en/page/report-bay-street-and-tax-havens">More than 90 per cent of the TSX60 have at least one subsidiary in a tax haven.</a> The Canada Revenue Agency estimates approximately <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cra-tax-gap-foreign-holdings-1.4726983">$3 billion in tax revenue is lost</a> every year from funds that wealthy Canadians have sequestered in offshore tax havens.</p>
<p>The inequality gap will most definitely continue to rise over the next 10 years without a wealth or estate tax on the richest Canadians, without increasing the income and capital gains tax rate on the richest Canadians and without closing tax loopholes.</p>
<h2>Climate emergency</h2>
<p>In his new book, <a href="https://ecwpress.com/products/a-good-war"><em>A Good War, Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency</em></a>, urban studies professor Seth Klein laments the new climate denialism that involves governments and industry leaders verbally accepting climate science but denying what the reality means for policy. Governments promise action but practise appeasement of corporate interests, delivering “underwhelming and contradictory policies.”</p>
<p>Governments have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-canada-should-drop-its-net-zero-pledge-to-cut-carbon-emissions-132297">setting and failing to meet emissions reduction targets</a> for nearly three decades. <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/greenhouse-gas-emissions.html">Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions rose 20.9 per cent between 1990 and 2018</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357070/original/file-20200908-16-vs65g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man presses his hand against his mouth." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357070/original/file-20200908-16-vs65g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357070/original/file-20200908-16-vs65g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357070/original/file-20200908-16-vs65g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357070/original/file-20200908-16-vs65g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357070/original/file-20200908-16-vs65g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357070/original/file-20200908-16-vs65g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357070/original/file-20200908-16-vs65g8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mark Carney is seen in this 2016 photo, when he was serving as governor of the Bank of England.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/17/the-financial-sector-must-be-at-the-heart-of-tackling-climate-change">Mark Carney</a> — formerly the Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, and now a special envoy for climate action for the United Nations — has warned that climate is approaching a tipping point that could precipitate global financial and economic collapse, to say nothing of a planetary apocalypse. Carney is now serving as an adviser to the Trudeau government.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2019">United Nations Environment Program</a> report estimated Canada’s emissions in 2030 would be 15 per cent above its Paris accord reduction target of 30 per cent over 2005 levels. That’s part of a growing global disconnect between rising temperature trends and commitments by governments to cut emissions.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-on-track-to-substantially-miss-2030-emissions-reduction-targets/">Trudeau vowed Canada would exceed its 2030 commitment</a> on the way to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. He promised that concrete actions, including legally binding five-year targets, would be revealed before the next UN climate summit in November. </p>
<h2>Canadians want a wealth tax</h2>
<p>Canada needs an ambitious social and economic plan that will hopefully present itself in the upcoming throne speech.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://abacusdata.ca/what-kind-of-recovery-broadbent-institute/">Abacus survey</a> found 74 per cent of Canadians believe the government should introduce a wealth tax of one to two per cent of the very rich.</p>
<p>It also found 72 per cent of Canadians supported a universal public pharmacare program. The Liberal government has waffled for decades on pharmacare and continues to do so, even in the face of recommendations from <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/about-health-canada/public-engagement/external-advisory-bodies/implementation-national-pharmacare/final-report.html">its own advisory panel</a> on the need for it.</p>
<p>On climate, the Abacus poll found that the transition to a low-carbon economy was “extremely or very important” to 53 per cent of Canadians and “important” to another 20 per cent.</p>
<p>Will the public be heeded in the throne speech and the government’s subsequent fiscal update? Will there be a pledge for transformative change or will the plutocracy be appeased once again? </p>
<p>Tilting the scales towards change requires a broad-based, engaged movement. Canadians must mobilize.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145747/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bruce Campbell is affiliated with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Rideau Institute for International Affairs
He is a research collaborator on the SSHRC Grant, York University, Adapting Work and Workplaces to Climate Change</span></em></p>
The speech from the throne is just around the corner. Will the Liberal government make broad and much-needed economic and social change amid the pandemic, or will it give in to the wealthy again?
Bruce Campbell, Adjunct professor, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Canada
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/144896
2020-08-25T15:55:57Z
2020-08-25T15:55:57Z
Call in the women! Chrystia Freeland and Kamala Harris’s new roles respond to the times
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354678/original/file-20200825-18-a5a321.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4373%2C2926&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Chrystia Freeland became the Finance Minister after Bill Morneau resigned in the wake of the WE scandal.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What a groundbreaking week this has been in North America, with great excitement about two appointments that shatter glass ceilings.</p>
<p>In the United States, Senator Kamala Harris, former California attorney general, has just been <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-08-19/kamala-harris-nomination-democratic-convention">nominated as the running mate for 77-year-old Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden</a>. Harris is the third woman be nominated for such a position, and as the daughter of Indian and Jamaican parents, she is the first racialized woman.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aGzJr_andDA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Kamala Harris’s speech accepting the vice-presidential nomination.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also this week, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53759664">Chrystia Freeland has been named as the first woman finance minister in Canada</a>. I had dreamt that I would be the one breaking through that particular glass ceiling when I was the official opposition finance critic for the NDP. It was not to be, but I am delighted for Freeland. There have been women who’ve run the finances provincially in Canada, but never federally, until now. These changes offer hope to girls and young women everywhere.</p>
<p>But change takes such an awfully long time. As we look around the world <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1058345/countries-with-women-highest-position-executive-power-since-1960/">there are only 16 elected world leaders who are women</a> — about 10 per cent. Neither Canada nor the U.S. has ever had a woman elected to the very top position. Corporate board rooms don’t fare much better: <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-management/">only 17 per cent of CEOs globally are women</a>. </p>
<p>Both Harris and Freeland assume their positions in the midst of troubling times, leading some to ask <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/management/article-we-need-female-leadership-in-this-time-of-crisis-handle-with-care/">why does it take a crisis to promote women</a>? And the answer seems to be because they perform very well.</p>
<h2>Fumbling missteps</h2>
<p>The current U.S. administration has mismanaged its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1105264/coronavirus-covid-19-cases-most-affected-countries-worldwide/">more cases and deaths than any other country</a>. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html">Black Lives Matter protests</a> have challenged the racialized impact of policing and the continued dominance of white privilege in political, corporate, economic and social life. In the U.S., there are fears that their very democracy is <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2020/08/23/justified-fear-jeffrey-toobin-on-what-donald-trumps-re-election-would-mean-for-us-democracy.html">at risk due to the actions of President Trump</a>.</p>
<p>Harris breathes <a href="https://www.ajc.com/life/opinion-kamala-harris-the-hope-excitement-and-trepidation-of-black-america/72FEOKMJTNGE3MAY2RXTQYLLJQ/">life, generational change, energy and excitement</a> into the Democratic campaign to win back the presidency. She should motivate progressive, young, racialized and women voters to get out and unseat the current president. And while her nomination in this election is ground-breaking, if she can make it to the next level, to the presidency, she may well help the United States fully recover from its bout of ill temper and instability.</p>
<p>Here, in Canada, how unfortunate that the Liberal government is mired in its <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-trudeau-ethics-we-1.5645464">third major ethics scandal</a>. Having been found in violation of ethics rules twice before, the prime minister was desperate to change the political channel, but just when the government released thousands of documents about the WE scandal, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/morneau-resigns-covid19-economy-1.5690198">the former finance minister, Bill Morneau, resigned</a>. Freeland, a former journalist and author, then replaced him; she remains as the deputy prime minister.</p>
<p>Freeland has demonstrated her negotiating chops in <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/news/chrystia-freeland-to-sign-new-nafta-deal-with-u-s-mexico/">renewing the NAFTA agreement</a> and as the point person on intergovernmental affairs. She is talented, competent and experienced. She can do the finance job, and many are seeing her as a future prime minister — so it’s sad that she is seen by some as <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/18/chrystia-freeland-canada-first-female-finance-minister-398251">a political fig leaf</a>. </p>
<h2>Send in the cavalry</h2>
<p>Without question, both Harris and Freeland are strong, accomplished and up to their new jobs. Perhaps this is the best time to call in the women to fix so much of what is wrong with politics. Some argue that if we compare the record of women leaders during the pandemic, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2020/04/13/what-do-countries-with-the-best-coronavirus-reponses-have-in-common-women-leaders/">these women perform very well</a>, especially when compared with strongman leaders.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/chrystia-freeland-and-the-merit-myth-that-wont-go-away-144894">Chrystia Freeland and the merit myth that won't go away</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Even with a <a href="https://theconversation.com/trudeaus-new-cabinet-gender-parity-because-its-2019-or-due-to-competence-126646">gender-equal cabinet</a>, Canada ranks 61st in the world for the <a href="http://archive.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm">representation of women in national parliaments</a>. This is shameful and we need to elect more women MPs who represent the broad diversity of Canada. </p>
<p>But history is not destiny.</p>
<p>Looking around the world, there is a new generation of women leaders such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/21/very-proud-jacinda-ardern-defends-new-zealand-covid-response-after-trump-attacks">Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/14/feminism-finland-gender-equaity-sanna-marin">Sanna Marin and her coalition of five young women leaders in Finland</a>, who have been providing excellent leadership. </p>
<p>Whether in Canada, the U.S., New Zealand or Finland, we expect that this next generation will not only aspire to power for themselves, but they will open the doors of power to better representation. Enough of shattering glass ceilings: just equality please.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144896/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peggy Nash is a member of the NDP and a board member of the Broadbent Institute. </span></em></p>
Women are increasingly taking more visible senior roles in leadership. This reflects their ability to effectively manage difficult situations, as demonstrated by Chrystia Freeland and Kamala Harris.
Peggy Nash, senior Advisor to the Dean of Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/144894
2020-08-24T15:29:24Z
2020-08-24T15:29:24Z
Chrystia Freeland and the merit myth that won’t go away
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354128/original/file-20200821-22-jum0b2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=69%2C107%2C4901%2C3144&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland responds to a question during a news conference on Aug. 20, 2020 in Ottawa.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Chrystia Freeland made history by becoming Canada’s first woman finance minister. The next day, she experienced what many high-achieving women do: her qualifications for the job were immediately challenged. </p>
<p>Journalists reported that Freeland <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/freeland-morneau-finance-minister-bay-street-experience-1.5691135">lacked the Bay Street experience</a> of her predecessor, Bill Morneau, that her “<a href="https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-globe-and-mail-bc-edition/20200819/281831466101417">mastery of business issues was relatively untested</a>” and that she was merely a journalist with no business credentials. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1296081767884099585"}"></div></p>
<p>Such reporting ignores Freeland’s stellar performance in two cabinet posts over five years and overlooks the fact that she was an <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/chrystia-freeland-wins-national-business-book-award-512475541.html">award-winning financial journalist</a> before entering politics. For some, Freeland’s qualifications for finance minister were insufficient. </p>
<p>We shouldn’t be surprised. Denigrating or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/16/carole-cadwalladr-women-politics-power">ignoring women’s credentials</a> is a common strategy to reinforce ideas about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2018.1532917">who is entitled to the most powerful positions</a> in our society. My co-authored book, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cabinets-ministers-and-gender-9780190069001?cc=ca&lang=en&"><em>Cabinets, Ministers, and Gender</em></a>, shows that downplaying women’s qualifications helps explain why so few make it into top government posts. </p>
<p>Women were entirely absent from Canadian cabinets until 1957, when <a href="https://time.com/4101443/canada-first-female-cabinet-minister/">Ellen Fairclough was appointed to cabinet</a> by prime minister John Diefenbaker. Since then, progress has been slow, and few women have <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cabinets-ministers-and-gender-9780190069001?cc=ca&lang=en&">held the most powerful posts</a>. Just three women have served as justice minister, two have led foreign affairs and just one woman, Kim Campbell, has been defence minister, a post she held for less than six months. </p>
<p>Women’s gains in politics and the workplace over the past few decades are undeniable. Yet men continue to dominate the upper echelons of politics. Why? Our research digs into how qualifications and arguments about merit are deployed to women’s disadvantage. </p>
<h2>Qualifying for cabinet</h2>
<p>There are no formal qualifications for ministers in the countries we studied — Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. We interviewed former ministers and political advisers, read former leaders’ memoirs and dug into media archives to figure out why some people make it into cabinet and others don’t. </p>
<p>We found that even without written rules, there were still widely recognized expectations about the qualifications ministers needed. Political experience and policy expertise were central, but we found that friendship and loyalty mattered even more, especially to the person doing the appointing.</p>
<p>Women have a harder time qualifying on these grounds. That’s because the networks where political friendships develop often originate in all-male or mostly male spaces like private school, fraternities and golf clubs. Examples include former British prime minister David Cameron’s “<a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/day-long-knives-ruthless-may-dispatched-notting-hill-set-14248">Notting Hill set</a>,” many of whom sat in his cabinet.</p>
<h2>The route to cabinet</h2>
<p>Another route to cabinet is having policy expertise, educational credentials and professional experience related to the post. Unfortunately, patterns of gender segregation in the workforce get reproduced in cabinet. Researchers find that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2005.00158.x">women tend to be appointed to less prestigious</a> cabinet posts that correspond to stereotypically feminine professions like education, social services and health. </p>
<p>If qualifying for more powerful posts like finance, defence and foreign affairs requires occupational experience, women will be disadvantaged. Women lead a mere <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/fortune-500-women-ceos-trnd/index.html">7.4 per cent of Fortune 500 companies</a> and continue to be <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/women-in-the-forces/statistics.html">vastly under-represented</a> in the Armed Forces. The high-profile cabinet spot where women are most likely to be found is justice, which is unsurprising given the ever-growing number of women graduating with law degrees.</p>
<p>But the real reason why criteria requiring occupational experience undermines women’s chances of making it to cabinet are the ones exemplified by the reaction to Freeland’s appointment: qualifications are in the eye of the beholder. They’re not objective, and they’re not static. They shift and change depending on who’s being considered and who’s doing the judging. </p>
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<img alt="Justin Trudeau elbow bumping Chrystia Freeland" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354127/original/file-20200821-24-nkng6t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354127/original/file-20200821-24-nkng6t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354127/original/file-20200821-24-nkng6t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354127/original/file-20200821-24-nkng6t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354127/original/file-20200821-24-nkng6t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354127/original/file-20200821-24-nkng6t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354127/original/file-20200821-24-nkng6t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Chrystia Freeland elbow bumps Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after being sworn in as Finance Minister on Aug. 18, 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
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<p>While doing research for our book, we encountered several cases of women’s qualifications for cabinet being ignored or downplayed. The most egregious — and sadly similar to Freeland — is when Theresa May, former British prime minister, was selected by newly elected prime minister David Cameron as home secretary, one of the most powerful posts in government. May had been in parliament for 13 years, served as party chairman, and shadowed six different portfolios. Yet the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/16/carole-cadwalladr-women-politics-power">media still challenged her qualifications</a> for the position.</p>
<h2>Merit as a strategic tool</h2>
<p>When Trudeau first appointed a gender-balanced cabinet in 2015, <a href="https://www.thebeaverton.com/2015/11/50-female-cabinet-appointments-lead-to-5000-increase-in-guys-who-suddenly-care-about-merit-in-cabinet/">the satirical <em>Beaverton</em> ran the headline</a>: “50 per cent female cabinet appointments lead to 5,000 per cent increase in guys who suddenly care about merit in cabinet.” The headline illustrates how merit arguments are deployed precisely when women’s gains threaten the status quo. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/kim-campbell-sexism-freeland-minister-finance-1.5694539?fbclid=IwAR0WegGNc4pBB5UslYDuMtQ171PXtaWW_itTbjsI-sMm9ikYWFuAdtsoGxs">Journalists who ignore Freeland’s qualifications</a> or imply — contrary to the historical record — that Bay Street experience is a qualification for finance minister, are doing the same thing, except they’re not trying to be funny. </p>
<p>Instead, they’re sending an all-too-familiar message to women seeking high office: No matter what you accomplish, it will never be enough.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144894/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Franceschet receives funding from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p>
Reactions to Chrystia Freeland’s appointment as finance minister demonstrate how qualifications and arguments about merit are deployed to women’s disadvantage in politics.
Susan Franceschet, Professor of Political Science, University of Calgary
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/127575
2019-11-26T20:13:29Z
2019-11-26T20:13:29Z
Chrystia Freeland will have to navigate misogyny in her new roles
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303752/original/file-20191126-112526-lua1ka.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=432%2C201%2C4929%2C2897&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Chrystia Freeland meet in Edmonton after she was named deputy prime minister and minister of intergovernmental affairs.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Chrystia Freeland’s influence in the new Liberal minority government has been upgraded significantly with Justin Trudeau’s recent cabinet announcements. </p>
<p>She now serves in dual roles as deputy prime minister and minister of intergovernmental affairs. Freeland will also <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2019/11/23/whos-got-the-real-power-and-influence-in-trudeaus-new-cabinet.html">play key leadership roles</a> on the “agenda, results and communications” and the “economy and the environment” cabinet committees.</p>
<p>In addition to her new formal mandates, however, Freeland will likely have to face another ongoing problem in Canadian politics: growing resentment and anger directed at women politicians. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/another-barrier-for-women-in-politics-violence-113637">Another barrier for women in politics: Violence</a>
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<p>As deputy prime minister, Freeland is now second in command. <a href="https://theconversation.com/chrystia-freeland-promoted-or-doomed-to-failure-127568">Whether her position will be ceremonial or substantive</a> remains to be seen. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/deputy-pm-chrystia-freeland-1.5366602">Deputy prime minister duties</a> are determined entirely by individual prime ministers. </p>
<p>Since the position was created in 1977, the importance of this role has varied. Under some prime ministers, the role was substantive, under others it was symbolic and under still others it was completely absent.</p>
<h2>Only two other women have been deputy PM</h2>
<p>Two other women, Liberals <a href="https://www.thespec.com/community-story/6834094-november-1993-hamilton-s-sheila-copps-named-first-woman-deputy-prime-minister/">Sheila Copps</a> and <a href="https://www.fulbright.ca/about-us/board-of-directors/current-board-members/anne-mclellan-bio">Anne McLellan</a>, have held the position. Of the nine preceding deputy prime ministers, only one, Jean Chretien, has gone on to become party leader.</p>
<p>As intergovernmental affairs minister, Freeland is responsible for federal-provincial/territorial relations. She does not head a department, but leads the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat, located in Privy Council Office, which serves a co-ordination role for the federal government.</p>
<p>With only one woman premier in Canada (Caroline Cochrane of the Northwest Territories), Freeland has been given a much-needed opportunity to inject a woman’s perspective into important intergovernmental concerns of the day, such as health care, the environment and equalization.</p>
<p>Freeland is also being asked to clean up some of the biggest Liberal messes of the last four years. This follows a typical gendered pattern: women leaders who inherit from their male predecessors a <a href="https://medium.com/@ryan.rach/the-female-effect-why-do-women-leaders-take-the-poison-chalice-798fd74e4e05">poisoned chalice</a>.</p>
<h2>Inheriting Trudeau’s national unity woes</h2>
<p>The biggest mess left to Freeland is national unity. The dramatic re-emergence of western alienation, including <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stefanovich-conservative-premier-kenney-alberta-autonomy-1.5354958">strong political rhetoric</a> and a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wexit-rally-calgary-1.5362624">fringe separatist movement</a>, has frayed the national politics. </p>
<p>Many in Alberta and Saskatchewan argue that Trudeau’s actions have crippled the oil and gas sector. Specifically, they point to the failure of the <a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/do-the-seat-count-why-trudeau-chose-trans-mountain-over-energy-east-1.1085755">Energy East</a> pipeline, the overhaul of infrastructure approval processes (Bill C-69, referred to by critics as the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5416659/what-is-bill-c69-pipelines/">“No More Pipelines Bill”</a>), and the “tanker ban” (Bill C-48) on the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/bill-tanker-ban-opposed-1.5118663">northern Pacific coast</a> but not the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-bill-c-48-tanker-ban-is-un-canadian-because-its-unfair-to-certain/">Atlantic coast</a>. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303757/original/file-20191126-112526-1tbz8ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303757/original/file-20191126-112526-1tbz8ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303757/original/file-20191126-112526-1tbz8ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303757/original/file-20191126-112526-1tbz8ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303757/original/file-20191126-112526-1tbz8ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303757/original/file-20191126-112526-1tbz8ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303757/original/file-20191126-112526-1tbz8ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Trudeau and Freeland are seen during the swearing-in of the new cabinet on Nov. 20, 2019, in Ottawa.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
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<p>Trudeau’s comments, later retracted, about <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/justin-trudeau-oilsands-phase-out-1.3934701">phasing out the oilsands</a> further stoked resentments. The delays in Trans Mountain Pipeline construction, despite the government’s purchase of the project, have <a href="https://business.financialpost.com/opinion/the-trudeau-government-is-taking-the-slowest-way-to-getting-trans-mountain-built">caused suspicion</a>.</p>
<p>Rising western alienation was <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-is-the-west-fed-up-with-canada-what-a-new-survey-shows-about-the/">evident prior to the election</a> and reflected in the 2019 election results: the Liberals dropped from 29 to just 15 seats in the West. The Liberals were shut out of Alberta and Saskatchewan, with veteran parliamentarian Ralph Goodale losing his seat.</p>
<p>Trudeau has struggled to establish effective relationships with <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2019/10/22/fire-burning-in-western-canada-following-election-saskatchewan-premier-says.html">Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe</a>, neither of whom appear motivated to extend an olive branch. At best, Trudeau has failed to contain regional tensions. At worst, he has fostered it through policy, personal style and neglect.</p>
<h2>Sky-high expectations</h2>
<p>Expectations of Freeland in her dual roles are exceedingly high. She has been described as “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/chrystia-freeland-justin-trudeau-cabinet-1.5366889">indispensable</a>” to Trudeau, and poised to “<a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/kelly-mcparland-can-chrystia-freeland-save-the-liberals-and-canada-while-shes-at-it">save the Liberals</a>.” </p>
<p>This media framing is consistent with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S1449-4035(03)70016-2">research that shows</a> that women politicians are often elevated by media early in their careers or when they take on new positions. But this same research finds that women are attacked more fiercely than men when they fail to meet such high expectations.</p>
<p>Already, Freeland <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/20/justin-trudeau-diplomat-wexit-072198">has signalled</a> a more collaborative approach to western interests, and Moe has <a href="https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/moe-watching-for-shift-in-policy-not-personnel-as-federal-cabinet-shuffled">responded positively</a>. Kenney also <a href="https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2019/11/25/chrystia-freeland-to-meet-with-alberta-premier-jason-kenney-in-her-first-trip-as-deputy-prime-minister.html">emerged from his first meeting</a> with Freeland, aimed at finding “common ground,” to say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I appreciate Minister Freeland’s willingness to listen and work with us, but the measure of the prime minister’s sincerity will be swift action on these urgent issues.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>With no real policy tools in her portfolio, Freeland’s capacity to affect change is questionable. Her collaborative approach may quickly be reframed by her critics as a weakness and indicative of women’s leadership inadequacies.</p>
<h2>A mandate accompanied by misogyny</h2>
<p>Freeland’s new challenges are formidable, and will be even more difficult given the gendered nature of the issues she’s been tasked to address. Western alienation is tied to both <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/FEWO/Brief/BR8745320/br-external/NRC-e.pdf">male-dominated</a> natural resource <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/the-buffalo-project-behind-the-powerful-cabal-working-on-a-new-deal-for-the-west">industry interests</a> and <a href="https://thewalrus.ca/what-the-trans-mountain-pipeline-battle-is-really-about/">regional identity</a>.</p>
<p>Public vitriol <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/catherine-mckenna-office_ca_5db31a7de4b05df62ebe6170">directed at Catherine McKenna, the former environment and climate change minister,</a> illustrates the challenges faced by women politicians who occupy positions of real power, especially when advocating for climate change policies.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/green-with-rage-women-climate-change-leaders-face-online-attacks-123155">Green with rage: Women climate change leaders face online attacks</a>
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<p>Given that Freeland is now responsible for some of the most volatile files facing the country, it is highly likely that she too will face misogynistic attacks. </p>
<p>Without anyone from Alberta or Saskatchewan appointed to cabinet, Freeland is Trudeau’s point person in dealing with these regional tensions and economic issues. She will likely be the conduit through which <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-separatism-anger-election-trudeau-1.5336196">western anger</a> towards the Liberal federal government will channelled.</p>
<p>Like <a href="https://www.ipu.org/resources/publications/reports/2016-10/sexism-harassment-and-violence-against-women-parliamentarians">other women leaders around the world</a>, Freeland can expect that the anger directed at her will be gendered in nature, with the goal of such attacks to punish her for being a powerful woman in politics. </p>
<h2>Sexism amplified</h2>
<p>Her role as deputy prime minister is likely to amplify the sexism directed at her, whether or not she assumes more power in this position. </p>
<p>If successful, Freeland’s efforts may bolster national unity, the economy, the environment and Canada’s relationships with the United States and Mexico. But relentless sexist attacks against Freeland could also derail progress on these issues altogether. </p>
<p>There is growing awareness of the <a href="https://www.equalvoice.ca/democracy_during_metoo_taking_stock_of_violence_against_women_in_canadian_politics">need for strategies</a> to address sexism, violence and threats of violence against women in Canadian politics. </p>
<p>Given Nov. 25 marked the first day of the United Nations’ <a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/take-action/16-days-of-activism">16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence</a>, now is an appropriate time for Canadians to discuss and address these issues.</p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=expertise">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127575/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tracey Raney receives funding from SSHRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Loleen Berdahl receives funding from SSHRC and the Kule Institute for Advanced Study.</span></em></p>
If successful, Chrystia Freeland could help bolster national unity and Canada’s relationships with the U.S. and Mexico. But relentless sexist attacks against her could derail progress.
Tracey Raney, Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Metropolitan University
Loleen Berdahl, Professor and Head, Department of Political Studies, University of Saskatchewan
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/127568
2019-11-24T14:58:01Z
2019-11-24T14:58:01Z
Chrystia Freeland: Promoted or doomed to failure?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303295/original/file-20191123-74542-13xeufk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5120%2C3410&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Chrystia Freeland, newly named deputy prime minister and minister of intergovernmental affairs, speaks following the swearing-in of the new cabinet at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2019/11/20/chrystia-freeland-named-deputy-prime-minister-in-cabinet-shuffle.html">The new Liberal cabinet</a> has mostly familiar faces, with just a few shuffled deck chairs and some new ministers.</p>
<p>Much of the focus has landed on Chrystia Freeland, the new minister of intergovernmental affairs and deputy prime minister.</p>
<p>Freeland is clearly Justin Trudeau’s most powerful minister, with a bundle of political problems on her plate. Regional tensions are brewing across Canada and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/chrystia-freeland-western-alienation-national-unity-trudeau-1.5370341">she will need all her negotiating skills to forge solutions.</a> </p>
<p>So is this a promotion for the high-profile former foreign affairs minister who spearheaded the negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump’s team to nail down a new NAFTA, and who told the world that Canada had returned as an important middle power and defender of women and all human rights? </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Council on Foreign Relations.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Or is this a dead end, a no-win situation where she will now be the lightning rod for anger across the land?</p>
<p>The Liberals were elected in 2015 to a majority government after an aspirational campaign that focused on middle-class prosperity and aimed to restore Canada’s place in the world. </p>
<p>Due to their majority, the Liberals could pass confidence bills like the budget or initiatives like the assisted suicide law or the legalization of marijuana provided they accepted some input and tweaking from the Senate.</p>
<p>They could also block what they didn’t want, especially at committees, such as the <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2019/03/19/liberals-shut-down-snc-lavalin-investigation-at-committee/">shutdown of the SNC-Lavalin inquiry.</a> </p>
<h2>A new reality</h2>
<p>Trudeau’s new minority government in 2019 now faces a different reality. </p>
<p>The Liberals looked vulnerable to defeat in the wake of a number of ethics scandals, the expulsion from the Liberal Party of <a href="https://theconversation.com/saying-no-to-power-the-resignations-of-women-cabinet-members-112693">two key women cabinet ministers</a>, the leader’s multiple <a href="https://theconversation.com/trudeaus-blackface-apology-rings-hollow-and-highlights-anti-arab-stereotypes-123891">blackface and brownface</a> episodes and backtracking on election promises such as effective climate change action, <a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-justice-and-reconciliation-barely-on-the-radar-this-canadian-election-124453">Indigenous reconciliation</a> and electoral reform.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-debates-commission-is-the-electoral-reform-canadians-need-106681">A new debates commission is the electoral reform Canadians need</a>
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<p>Arguably, the Liberals won in part by demonizing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who ran a weak campaign, and by linking him to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Trump. Many people voted Liberal <a href="https://ca.reuters.com/article/idCAKBN1X217S-OCATP">out of fear</a>, but <a href="https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/federal/2019/results/">the Conservative Party actually won the most votes.</a></p>
<p>The Liberals were reduced to a minority government as regional divisions flared. The Bloc Québécois won 32 seats after a surprisingly strong election campaign by BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet, and the Liberals were shut out of Alberta and Saskatchewan. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-liberals-paved-the-way-for-the-blocs-return-125632">How the Liberals paved the way for the Bloc's return</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wexit-rally-calgary-1.5362624">A “Wexit” separatist movement</a> has now emerged, with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/reject-this-arrogance-jason-kenney-sends-message-to-quebecers-as-dispute-with-bloc-leader-continues">throwing gas on the flames</a> of western anger and alienation. </p>
<h2>Collaboration required</h2>
<p>To pass bills now, the Liberals will need to negotiate with other parties. Many votes will depend on regional priorities. For example, if the Liberals decide to take greater action on climate change, they can likely win support from the NDP and the Bloc.</p>
<p>But the West wants action on pipelines and job creation. Squaring this circle on the environment and the economy, the West and the rest of Canada will be this government’s biggest challenge. This is where the Alberta-born Freeland comes in. </p>
<p>Many women, in particular, are cheering Freeland’s high-profile appointment and wish her well. Women remain greatly under-represented in Canada’s Parliament at 29 per cent, edging up slightly from the 26.9 per cent of the previous parliament by electing 10 more women, but <a href="http://archive.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm">still trailing more than 50 other countries</a> in women’s representation, according to the Interparliamentary Union organization.</p>
<p>Significant barriers still confront women who want to get elected to public life. The danger, of course, is that often when women get to the top or near the top of an organization, they can face either a glass ceiling or a cliff. Most women premiers in Canada don’t get re-elected.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-glass-cliff-is-steep-for-canadas-female-politicians-78988">The 'glass cliff' is steep for Canada's female politicians</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Canada’s first woman prime minister, Kim Campbell, was elected by Conservative convention delegates. But left to face the fury of voters towards the government of Brian Mulroney, she led the party to a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/a-historic-tory-defeat-in-1993">crushing defeat with just two seats in 1993.</a></p>
<p>So whether this new position is a promotion or a dead end for Freeland depends on where party and regional alliances can be built. </p>
<h2>Skilled negotiator</h2>
<p>As we saw in the North American free-trade negotiations, Freeland is a talented negotiator. But she will need to check herself on <a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/for-canada-s-freeland-canola-battle-with-china-gets-personal-1.1225307">her tendency to lecture others</a>. Kenney and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe are in no mood for virtue lecturing by federal Liberals. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303296/original/file-20191123-74557-3bg08p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303296/original/file-20191123-74557-3bg08p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303296/original/file-20191123-74557-3bg08p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303296/original/file-20191123-74557-3bg08p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303296/original/file-20191123-74557-3bg08p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303296/original/file-20191123-74557-3bg08p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303296/original/file-20191123-74557-3bg08p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303296/original/file-20191123-74557-3bg08p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Saskatchewan’s Moe will likely be a challenge for Freeland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While Freeland <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/i-did-not-take-on-this-job-to-be-a-spokesmodel-freeland-on-deputy-pm-role-1.4696269">is the third woman</a> to be named deputy prime minister, it’s unclear whether this role will be simply ceremonial or more substantive. The latter would be better suited to Freeland. And her role as minister of intergovernmental affairs, a job that prime ministers often keep for themselves, suggests she’ll have lots of room for breaking new ground. </p>
<p>However, the deputy prime minister role doesn’t necessarily lead to the top job. In fact, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/what-is-deputy-prime-minister-canada_ca_5dd5cbe6e4b0fc53f20d8783">no deputy prime minister has ever gone on to lead the country.</a> Many see Freeland as ambitious and a possible successor to Trudeau. So does this position favour that aspiration? </p>
<p>Time will tell. And women will be watching.</p>
<p>[ <em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127568/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peggy Nash is affiliated with the NDP and on the board of the Broadbent Institute. </span></em></p>
Whether Chrystia Freeland’s new roles in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet are a promotion or a dead end depends on where party and regional alliances can be built.
Peggy Nash, Distinguished Visiting Practitioner, Faculty of Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/124961
2019-10-17T22:54:47Z
2019-10-17T22:54:47Z
Trading values to sell weapons: The Canada-Saudi relationship
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296603/original/file-20191011-188787-h0y5d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C224%2C5389%2C3017&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In this August 2018 photo, Yemeni people attend the funeral of victims of a Saudi Arabia-led airstrike in Saada, Yemen. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In August 2018, the relationship between Canada and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appeared to break down in a most public and modern way: over Twitter. </p>
<p>This began with mild criticism by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland of some of the kingdom’s long-standing <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/saudi-arabia">human rights abuses</a>. The Saudi government responded by immediately <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-retaliation-canada-memo-1.5085832">suspending diplomatic relations with Canada and halting a number of trade, investment and education deals</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-major-trade-implications-of-the-canada-saudi-arabia-spat-101306">The major trade implications of the Canada-Saudi Arabia spat</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In the eyes of many, Canada appeared to be taking a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/08/saudi-arabia-canada-latest-egypt-russia">principled stand</a> that placed human rights ahead of monetary gain. This appeared befitting of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who presents himself and his government as leaders in the fight against <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/11/30/busy-day-for-trudeau-at-paris-climate-change-talks.html">climate change</a>, international law, human rights, LGBTQ rights and women’s rights. This includes an <a href="https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/priorities-priorites/fiap_action_areas-paif_champs_action.aspx?lang=eng">explicit feminist foreign policy agenda</a>. </p>
<h2>The polar opposite?</h2>
<p>Trudeau’s Canada also appeared the polar opposite of a conservative kingdom infamous for <a href="https://www.theweek.co.uk/60339/things-women-cant-do-in-saudi-arabia">denying women basic rights</a>, such as the right to drive or travel without a male guardian’s consent. The infamy includes frequent use of the death penalty. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabias-human-rights-abuses-10-examples-a6794576.html">Public beheadings</a> and crucifixions are regularly meted out in cases of public protest, homosexuality <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/saudi-arabias-war-on-witchcraft/278701/">and sorcery</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296467/original/file-20191010-188807-11jgl3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296467/original/file-20191010-188807-11jgl3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296467/original/file-20191010-188807-11jgl3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296467/original/file-20191010-188807-11jgl3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296467/original/file-20191010-188807-11jgl3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296467/original/file-20191010-188807-11jgl3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296467/original/file-20191010-188807-11jgl3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Deera Square in Riyadh is also known colloquially as ‘Chop Chop Square’ for the executions by beheading that take place there.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">WikiMedia Commons, Photographer: Luke Richard Thompson, 2011</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Canada-Saudi rift appeared <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/trudeau-says-canada-wants-saudi-answer-on-its-role-in-khashoggi-killing-1.4178098">to deepen</a> after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/12/how-jamal-khashoggi-disappeared-visual-guide">the October 2018 abduction and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul</a>. Khashoggi was a Saudi dissident living in exile in Washington, D.C., where he worked as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/jamal-khashoggi/">a journalist for the <em>Washington Post</em></a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296594/original/file-20191011-188787-hlnnfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296594/original/file-20191011-188787-hlnnfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296594/original/file-20191011-188787-hlnnfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296594/original/file-20191011-188787-hlnnfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296594/original/file-20191011-188787-hlnnfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296594/original/file-20191011-188787-hlnnfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296594/original/file-20191011-188787-hlnnfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296594/original/file-20191011-188787-hlnnfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The murder of Khashoggi further strained the Canada-Saudi Arabia relationship.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Hasan Jamali</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Khashoggi had been due to visit Canada that autumn. In Canada, he was collaborating with another Saudi in exile, <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2018/10/how-a-canadian-permanent-resident-and-saudi-arabian-dissident-was-targeted-with-powerful-spyware-on-canadian-soil/">Omar Abdulaziz</a>. They were <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/khashoggi-israel-lawsuit-omar-abdulaziz-saudi-arabia-1.4929952">working on a project</a> meant to challenge and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/khashoggi-israel-lawsuit-omar-abdulaziz-saudi-arabia-1.4929952">rein in pro-Saudi monarchy internet trolls</a>. </p>
<p>This was part of a broader effort by Saudi liberal reformers to open up the kingdom to change, starting with avenues for freedom of speech. That was in fact the point of contention behind the August 2018 rift. Freeland’s tweet had been on behalf of imprisoned Saudi human rights blogger, Raif Badawi, and his liberal-reformist sister, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/saudi-women-rights-activist-samar-badawi-appears-court-190627074012916.html">Samar Badawi</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1025030172624515072"}"></div></p>
<p>Less publicly, Canada has supported independent investigations into <a href="https://thedefensepost.com/2019/09/26/un-yemen-war-crimes-investigation-extended/">war crimes allegations against Saudi Arabia in Yemen</a>. Canada also joined several EU states to applaud recent Saudi reforms <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/geneva-saudi-statement-1.5294025">while condemning ongoing human rights abuses</a>.</p>
<p>Yet these actions are outweighed by Canada’s troublesome support for Saudi Arabia’s role in the Yemeni civil war. </p>
<h2>Tory support</h2>
<p>It started in March 2015, immediately after the entry of a Saudi-led coalition into the civil war. Rob Nicholson, the Conservative foreign affairs minister at the time, <a href="https://twitter.com/HonRobNicholson/status/599295989879541760?s=20">publicly lauded Saudi Arabia for its actions</a>: </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"599295989879541760"}"></div></p>
<p>Ottawa backed up those comments with <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-saudi-arms-deal-what-weve-learned-so-far/article28180299/">large-scale arms exports</a> to help Saudi Arabia wage war.</p>
<p>The Trudeau government is well aware of the purpose of these sales. After the Liberals came to power in late 2015, approval was given to export light armoured vehicles (LAVs), manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada (GDLS), to Saudi Arabia. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296587/original/file-20191011-188840-1fx7asm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296587/original/file-20191011-188840-1fx7asm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296587/original/file-20191011-188840-1fx7asm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296587/original/file-20191011-188840-1fx7asm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296587/original/file-20191011-188840-1fx7asm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296587/original/file-20191011-188840-1fx7asm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296587/original/file-20191011-188840-1fx7asm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296587/original/file-20191011-188840-1fx7asm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The GDLS LAV II.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">General Dynamics Land Systems Canada</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a <a href="https://www.international.gc.ca/controls-controles/assets/pdfs/documents/Memorandum_for_Action-eng.pdf">now-declassified memo</a> states, the reasoning was that they would be useful for Saudi Arabia’s efforts at “<em>countering instability</em>” in Yemen. </p>
<p>Most would agree the Saudi-led coalition’s impact on the war in Yemen has been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPa6HUxy11w">anything but stablizing</a>. </p>
<p>A recent report for the United Nations by the organization Group of Experts on Yemen <a href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A_HRC_42_17.pdf">stated that</a> “ … the continued supply of weapons to parties involved in the conflict in Yemen perpetuates the conflict and the suffering of the population.”</p>
<p>This includes the loss of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/20/human-cost-of-yemen-war-laid-bare-as-civilian-death-toll-put-at-100000">100,000 lives</a> <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035501">and millions of starving people</a>. </p>
<h2>Trouble finding weapons to buy</h2>
<p>As a result, Saudi Arabia is now having difficulties purchasing weapons for war. <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/german-arms-export-freeze-on-saudi-arabia-extended/a-50481984">Germany</a> announced the cancellation of arms deals to Saudi Arabia following the Khashoggi murder. British courts have ruled that arms exports to Saudi Arabia were unlawful <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/jun/20/uk-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-for-use-in-yemen-declared-unlawful">in light of</a> Yemen. Other countries like <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-norway-emirates/norway-suspends-arms-sales-to-uae-over-yemen-war-idUSKBN1ES0HG">Norway</a> and <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/denmark-suspends-arms-exports-uae-over-yemen-war-report">Denmark</a> have even suspended arms transfers to Saudi’s coalition partner, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), over Yemen. </p>
<p>Most recently, Belgian authorities cancelled weapons shipments to Saudi Arabia, though it is unclear if the ban includes <a href="https://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/detail_le-conseil-d-etat-annule-les-licences-d-exportations-d-armes-wallonnes-en-arabie-saoudite?id=10246413">turrets bound for Canada</a> to be installed on Saudi-bound GDLS LAVs. </p>
<p>Despite these efforts and those by the United States Congress <a href="https://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/detail_le-conseil-d-etat-annule-les-licences-d-exportations-d-armes-wallonnes-en-arabie-saoudite?id=10246413">to block</a> arms sales over the human rights situation in Yemen, Canada has not followed suit. While the Trudeau government announced “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/canadians-seek-cancellation-major-arms-deal-saudi-arabia-190809191316431.html">a review</a>” of arms deals with Saudi Arabia in October 2018, it allowed this to drag on while permitting weapons shipments on an undisclosed number of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-saudi-arms-deal-1.4579772">existing permits</a>. </p>
<p>This includes <a href="https://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cimt-cicm/topNCommodity-marchandise?lang=eng&getSectionId()=0&dataTransformation=0&scaleValue=0&scaleQuantity=0&refYr=2019&refMonth=8&freq=9&countryId=369&getUsaState()=0&provId=1&retrieve=Retrieve&country=null&tradeType=1&topNDefault=10&monthStr=null&chapterId=87&arrayId=9800087&sectionLabel=XVII%20-%20Vehicles,%20aircraft,%20vessels%20and%20associated%20transport%20equipment">at least CDN$1.34 billion worth of exports since Khashoggi’s murder</a>.</p>
<h2>Ongoing Canadian involvement</h2>
<p>Though the Trudeau government announced it would not authorize <a href="https://globalnews.ca/video/5862537/freeland-says-no-deals-with-saudi-arabia-have-been-done-since-death-of-journalist-jamal-khashoggi">new export permits</a> during the review, this may be little more than a symbolic gesture. A resolute Saudi government had <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-retaliation-canada-memo-1.5085832">already announced</a> its own ban on any new deals with Canadian companies. </p>
<p>While none of the newly produced LAVs have yet been spotted in Yemen, older-model Canadian-made LAVs and <a href="https://twitter.com/Silah_Report/status/973996196976119808">sniper rifles</a> are <a href="https://lostarmour.info/yemen/">regularly seen</a> in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZhv-IlPNEE">battle footage uploaded by Saudi and Yemeni forces</a>. The Yemen war has also been flooded with armoured vehicles made by other Canadian companies, like <a href="https://www.international.gc.ca/controls-controles/assets/pdfs/documents/memorandum-memo.pdf">the UAE-based Streit Group, Terradyne Armored</a> and <a href="https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2019/10/07/ottawa-reviews-footage-of-destroyed-canadian-made-saudi-armoured-vehicles/">IAG</a>.</p>
<figure>
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</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pratt--whitney-celebrates-the-inauguration-of-a-new-middle-east-propulsion-company-facility-159993065.html">Canadian-made engines</a> <a href="https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/01/12/fabriques-ici-pour-tuer">power</a> the Saudi-led coalition’s airplanes, <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2015-11-08/iomax-production-archangel-ready-uae-forces">attack aircraft</a> and <a href="https://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/saudi-arabia-ah-64d-apache-uh-60m-blackhawk-ah-6i-light-attack-and-md-530f-light">helicopters</a>. <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/11/30/news/experts-say-theres-proof-canadian-made-weapons-are-being-used-saudi-war-yemen">Canadian-made targeting systems</a> are <a href="https://www.wescam.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/WESCAM_TAQNIA-for-IDEX-2017_FINALFeb19_2017_rev.pdf">installed on these same aircraft</a>. Canada has <a href="https://twitter.com/JosephHDempsey/status/639073928091189248">supplied drones</a> to Saudi Arabia and <a href="https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2019/01/18/lametti-vantait-des-avions-destines-aux-forces-emiraties">surveillance aircraft</a> to <a href="https://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2009/business/0227n13.htm">the UAE</a>, while a <a href="https://gbp.com.sg/stories/uae-air-force-rq-1e-rpa-training-track/">Canadian company trains</a> UAE predator <a href="https://www.monch.com/mpg/news/simulation/2894-uae-predator-training-underway.html">drone pilots</a>.</p>
<p>There are also <a href="https://en.arij.net/report/the-end-user-how-did-western-weapons-end-up-in-the-hands-of-isis-and-aqap-in-yemen">unconfirmed reports that Canadian weapons may have been illegally diverted to Yemeni forces fighting alongside the coalition</a>. </p>
<p>Much of this “Canadian content” is the result of increasing government support for the Canadian defence industry’s attempt to gain a foothold in the lucrative Middle East <a href="https://defence.frontline.online/article/2019/2/11332-Canadian-companies-vie-for-global-attention">arms market</a>. This got underway with Stephen Harper’s <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-exporting-arms-to-countries-with-suspicious-human-rights-records/article15817569/">Conservative government</a>, but has been <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-advised-to-deepen-ties-with-saudi-arabia-brace-for-change-in-iran-1.3394669">maintained</a> <a href="https://defence.frontline.online/article/2019/1/11186-Representing-Canada-in-the-UAE">by Trudeau</a>. </p>
<h2>Business as usual</h2>
<p>Regardless of a few <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46873796">high-profile cases of Canada providing support for individual women and reformers in the kingdom</a>, it appears to be favouring perceived economic gains over human rights values. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1168533942313652230"}"></div></p>
<p>While Canada has been increasing its aid budget for Yemen, this means little compared to the destruction wrought by the weapons and training it sells — sales that power a conflict that has <a href="https://www.oxfam.ca/blog/canada-joins-the-arms-trade-treaty-while-still-selling-arms-to-saudi-arabia/">deepened gender inequality</a> while threatening a devastated Yemen with division into three parts. </p>
<p>Freeland recently said, however, that the kingdom remains “<a href="https://globalnews.ca/video/5862537/freeland-says-no-deals-with-saudi-arabia-have-been-done-since-death-of-journalist-jamal-khashoggi">an important partner for Canada</a>.”</p>
<p>Whether Trudeau or Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer form a government after the Oct. 21 election, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-arabia-g20-summit-trudeau-1.5205665">both appear</a> set to travel to Saudi Arabia in November 2020 for a G20 summit that will be used to rehabilitate the image of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, sullied by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/19/jamal-khashoggi-killing-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-evidence-un-report">his involvement in Khashoggi’s gruesome murder</a>. </p>
<p>During the current election campaign, only <a href="https://ricochet.media/en/2717/jagmeet-singh-stakes-out-clear-opposition-to-canada-saudi-arms-deal">the NDP</a> and <a href="https://www.greenparty.ca/sites/default/files/platform_2019_web_update_oct_6.pdf">Green Party of Canada</a> have committed to cancelling the LAV deal with Saudi Arabia. And only the New Democrats have suggested its government <a href="https://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-statement-upcoming-g20-meeting-saudi-arabia">would not attend</a> the G20 summit in Riyadh.</p>
<p>Such a visit will otherwise offer the Canadian government the chance to make up with Saudi Arabia while telling the Canadian public that they pressed the kingdom on human rights, all while continuing with business as usual. </p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=expertise">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124961/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy Wildeman is affiliated with the Rideau Institute and the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anthony Fenton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A year after an infamous Twitter spat and the gruesome murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, the Canada-Saudi relationship appears poised to return to business as usual, if it hasn’t already.
Jeremy Wildeman, Research Associate in International Development, University of Bath
Anthony Fenton, PhD Candidate (ABD), York University, Canada
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/110018
2019-01-17T22:24:51Z
2019-01-17T22:24:51Z
It’s time for Canada and China to tone down the rhetoric
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254227/original/file-20190116-163292-cbdjo5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In this image taken from video footage run by China's CCTV, Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg attends his retrial in northeastern China. A Chinese court has sentenced him to death in a sudden retrial in a drug smuggling case that is escalating tensions between the countries over the Canadian arrest of a top Chinese technology executive.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(CCTV via AP)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The death sentence recently meted out <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/death-sentence-for-canadian-in-china-of-extreme-concern-pm-1.4252218">to convicted Canadian drug trafficker Robert Schellenberg</a> in China is another ratcheting up of pressure on Canada by Chinese authorities.</p>
<p>It came after Canada arrested Huawei CFO <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/huawei-meng-extradition-questions-fraud-1.4943162">Meng Wanzhou</a> in Vancouver at the request of the United States, which wants her to stand trial on charges related to breaking American laws prohibiting trade with Iran.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/schellenberg-death-sentence-china-1.4976959">condemned China</a> for “arbitrarily” applying the death penalty in the Schellenberg case that has, until now, languished in the Chinese justice system. Schellenberg was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in trying to smuggle 222 kilograms of <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2182007/chinese-court-canadian-drug-smuggling-accuseds-defence-attack">methamphetamine from China to Australia in 2014.</a></p>
<p>China has responded by criticizing Trudeau for not having “the slightest respect for the rule of law” and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-blasts-trudeau-remarks-canadian-death-sentence-1.4978443">for making “irresponsible remarks.”</a> Both sides also escalated travel advisories for their citizens, urging <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canada-updates-china-travel-advisory-risk-of-arbitrary-enforcement-of-local-laws-1.4253450">caution and evaluation of risk.</a></p>
<h2>‘Pressure point’</h2>
<p>There is no question that the sudden attention given to Schellenberg is related to the Meng arrest and is another pressure point that China is applying to Canada. </p>
<p>However, China has been somewhat more astute in highlighting Schellenberg’s case in comparison to its clumsy detentions of two other Canadians — former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor — which occurred right after Meng’s arrest and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/07/michael-kovrig-michael-spavor-canadian-men-detained-china-charges">were ostensibly for violations of China’s national security laws.</a></p>
<p>Drug trafficking is recognized as a serious crime everywhere. A number of countries — such as Singapore, Indonesia and, yes, China — apply the death penalty in many serious <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/15/china/china-canada-executions-africa-intl/index.html">drug trafficking cases.</a> </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-46875807">media reports</a>, Schellenberg has a criminal record in Canada with 11 offences dating back to 2003, including several for drug trafficking for which he has spent time in Canadian prisons. </p>
<p>Judging by his track record and the apparent evidence, he is no simple tourist. But does this mean that he merits the death penalty for his offences, or is he a political pawn? The timing of his sudden retrial very much suggests the latter. </p>
<p>But ramping up the rhetoric against China is unlikely to achieve the outcome Canada desires. In fact, just the opposite could happen.</p>
<p>Canada doesn’t have the death penalty, and it’s legitimate and consistent with our values to request other countries to respect that position. But not all do, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/6-canadians-who-faced-death-row-in-u-s-1.1208606">including the United States.</a> </p>
<h2>Touched a nerve</h2>
<p>To publicly accuse China of arbitrarily imposing a death sentence is to touch a raw nerve in China, which maintains that it also follows the rule of law. </p>
<p>While there are many good reasons to question that position, China will maintain that there are plenty of precedents for imposing capital punishment for drug trafficking in China, and that they should not be expected to make an exception simply because the accused is a foreigner.</p>
<p>The intemperate opinion piece by Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye, which I myself <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-chinese-embassy-shows-how-not-to-win-friends-and-influence-people/">publicly criticized</a>, accused Canadian “elites” of practising “white supremacy” for arguing that Kovrig’s and Spavor’s detention were unlawful while Meng’s was in accordance with the rule of law.</p>
<p>That kind of inflammatory language is unhelpful, but whether China actually believes that Canada is imposing double standards — one for Canadians and a different one for Chinese — or at least chooses to play that card, the fact remains that Schellenberg is vulnerable.</p>
<p>That’s because China could easily make an example of him just to show that he is subject to the same laws and punishments as a Chinese citizen convicted of drug trafficking.</p>
<p>Rather than accusing China of arbitrariness and <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/u-s-backs-canada-as-china-questions-motivations-in-schellenberg-case-1.4255912">political motivation in this latest case,</a> it would be better to acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations against Schellenberg and propose that Chinese punishment be tempered with mercy. </p>
<h2>Asking for clemency</h2>
<p>In fact, there are provisions in Chinese law for the death penalty to <a href="https://www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org/country-search-post.cfm?country=China">be suspended or commuted.</a> For China to take that position in Schellenberg’s case would strengthen its position that this case has not been politicized, but is being dealt with according to law. </p>
<p>Foreign Minister <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-china-issues-stern-rebuke-to-trudeau-stop-with-your-irresponsible/">Chrystia Freeland has said</a> that Canada has asked China for clemency in this case. That’s the right approach. While <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/01/16/china-rejects-canadas-plea-for-clemency-for-robert-lloyd-schellenberg-sentenced-to-death-for-drug-trafficking.html">there are reports</a> that China has rejected Canada’s appeal, so far there has been no final decision by the Supreme People’s Court. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254378/original/file-20190117-32810-1digwbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254378/original/file-20190117-32810-1digwbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254378/original/file-20190117-32810-1digwbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254378/original/file-20190117-32810-1digwbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254378/original/file-20190117-32810-1digwbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254378/original/file-20190117-32810-1digwbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254378/original/file-20190117-32810-1digwbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chrystia Freeland poses with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi as she arrives for a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing in August 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Wu Hong/Pool Photo via AP)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pushing China into a corner and escalating the condemning language on this case is a high-risk proposition. If the Chinese can be convinced to spare Schellenberg’s life, it won’t be due to threats. Lowering the temperature on the rhetoric on both sides can only help. </p>
<p>It’s tempting to respond with strong language and threats of consequences, as some have suggested. But now is the time to give China the chance to show the world that while the Chinese justice system can mete out punishment, it can also exercise compassion, demonstrating that Chinese justice can be a combination of both retribution and rehabilitation. </p>
<p>Whatever his sins, Schellenberg deserves that chance. Let’s hope that China rises to the occasion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110018/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hugh Stephens does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Now is the time to give China the chance to show that while the Chinese justice system can mete out punishment, it can also exercise compassion and could spare the life of a Canadian drug smuggler.
Hugh Stephens, Executive Fellow, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary; Distinguished Fellow, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada; Associate Faculty, School of Business, Royal Roads University, University of Calgary
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/107782
2018-11-28T21:56:50Z
2018-11-28T21:56:50Z
Canada’s moral negligence in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247762/original/file-20181128-32191-1m7m59u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In this October 2018, photo, candles lit by activists protesting the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are placed outside Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the CIA <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/11/16/world/europe/16reuters-saudi-khashoggi-cia.html">announced</a> that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely ordered the brutal killing of <em>Washington Post</em> journalist Jamal Khashoggi, my colleagues and I published an <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-red-line-crossed-jamal-khashoggis-life-cannot-be-sacrificed-for/">opinion piece</a> in a Canadian newspaper. We were critical of our government’s response, which doubles down on its rhetoric of “human rights” while failing to take any concrete action. </p>
<p>“We will continue to stand up for Canadian values and indeed for universal values and human rights at any occasion,” Prime Minister Trudeau <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-morning-update-trudeau-says-canada-will-stand-up-for-human-rights/">said in August</a>.</p>
<p>“Continue”? And “at any occasion?” But why not now, and on this occasion?</p>
<p>Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-chrystia-freeland-says-canada-very-troubled-by-disappearance-of/">has offered an explanation</a> that she framed as morally virtuous: “When it comes to existing contracts, our government believes strongly that Canada’s word has to matter.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247761/original/file-20181128-32203-1p5y62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247761/original/file-20181128-32203-1p5y62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247761/original/file-20181128-32203-1p5y62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247761/original/file-20181128-32203-1p5y62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247761/original/file-20181128-32203-1p5y62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247761/original/file-20181128-32203-1p5y62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247761/original/file-20181128-32203-1p5y62.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trudeau and Freeland are seen at a news conference on the new North American free-trade deal in Oct. 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Canada’s $14.8 billion contract to sell armoured combat vehicles to Saudi Arabia could not be jeopardized. Cancelling it would carry penalties somewhere in the range of “<a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/penalty-for-cancelling-saudi-arms-contract-in-the-billions-trudeau-1.4150003">billions of dollars</a>,” the prime minister tells us. And besides, this deal will reportedly create <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-saudi-arms-deal-what-weve-learned-so-far/article28180299/">3,000 jobs</a> over 14 years in southwestern Ontario. This too is significant. But the trade-off is stark: the death of some in exchange for the livelihood of others. This can be none other than what we called a “sacrificial economy.” </p>
<h2>‘Everybody knows’</h2>
<p>If I could choose a soundtrack for the Jamal Khashoggi affair, it would be the ghostly voice of Leonard Cohen singing “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lin-a2lTelg">Everybody Knows</a>.” The refrain is familiar. Everybody knows about Canada’s lucrative armoured vehicle contract with the Saudi regime. Everybody knows the deal is rotten.</p>
<p>Everybody knows that these are weapons and do not serve the same humanitarian purposes as books or pharmaceuticals or grain. Everybody knows that they deliver death and destitution and that they have helped to produce what the United Nations <a href="https://news.un.org/en/focus/yemen">has called</a> the worst man-made humanitarian crisis of our time in Yemen. </p>
<p>Everybody knows that a <em>Washington Post</em> journalist is not the only victim of these economies — there are countless dead who have no voice, and it is especially tragic that someone positioned to speak on their behalf was himself assassinated.</p>
<p>Everybody knows — or should know — that in 2017 alone, Canada sold just under <a href="http://www.international.gc.ca/controls-controles/report-rapports/mil-2017.aspx?lang=eng">$500 million</a> worth of guns, training gear, imaging and countermeasure equipment, bombs, rockets, drones and unspecified chemical or biological agents to Saudi Arabia. We have also sold guided missiles to Bahrain, and different weapons to the United Arab Emirates — both of which support Saudi military action in Yemen. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247673/original/file-20181128-32230-rtt2ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247673/original/file-20181128-32230-rtt2ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247673/original/file-20181128-32230-rtt2ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247673/original/file-20181128-32230-rtt2ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247673/original/file-20181128-32230-rtt2ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247673/original/file-20181128-32230-rtt2ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/247673/original/file-20181128-32230-rtt2ss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, LAV 6.0 armoured vehicle like the ones sold to Saudi Arabia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gdlscanada.com/products/LAV/LAV-6.0.html">Sgt. Jean-Francois Lauzé, © 2016 DND-MDN Canada</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We have also sold military <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-selling-helicopters-to-philippines-military-despite-human-rights-concerns/article37874305/">helicopters</a> to Rodrigo Duterte’s regime in the Philippines. The list goes on. So even if one Saudi contract is cancelled, not much is likely to change.</p>
<h2>Dice are loaded</h2>
<p>But even without these details, everybody knows that the dice are loaded. In my research, I examine the ethical relationship between the modern state’s power to “make live” and “let die” — which also means indirect killing. This is what the French philosopher <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780312422660">Michel Foucault called “biopolitics,” a deadly and differential politics</a> where life itself is both the means and the end of political power. </p>
<p>Sacrificial deaths go by many euphemisms: collateral damages (in war), opportunity costs or negative externalities (in economics). But negative “externality” is misleading here. The negation of life, or “letting die,” is <em>internal</em> to this general economy, a moral economy that silently underpins the rules of international law, diplomacy and trade. Everybody knows, but nobody knows what to do with this knowledge. </p>
<p>It is, then, as if Khashoggi’s murder — along with innumerable others less spectacular or publicized — are factored in as a tolerable threshold of death in the name of life and livelihood. This is not new, but the scale of mass destruction and its technological automation should give us pause as we contemplate the roboticization of weapons and algorithmic warfare.</p>
<p>The sacrificial economy has its own sinister principles of accounting. As British intellectual and forensic architect Eyal Weizman has documented in <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/2464-the-least-of-all-possible-evils"><em>The Least of All Possible Evils</em></a>, the U.S. military has tolerable thresholds of civilian deaths for each military death; Israeli blockades in Gaza have counted the calories of food entering Gaza, based on average per-person consumption (2,100 calories per male and 1,700 per female). </p>
<h2>Violence as virtue</h2>
<p>Violence is framed as a moral virtue, obeying “proportionality” or the “humanitarian minimum.” Outside the theatres of war, and in the Canadian context, what is the tolerable threshold of carbon emissions and climate change to sell our oil, or the tolerable threshold of First Nations communities without access to clean drinking water? More sacrifice.</p>
<p>It would be unjust to blame Trudeau or Freeland entirely for our sacrificial economy. As Cohen writes, “That’s how it goes / Everybody knows.” </p>
<p>But there is, still, the matter of Canada’s word, our collective values and the willingness of each Canadian to remain complicit or to knowingly resist. Khashoggi’s death is significant not just for its attack on the freedom of the press, but because it occasions a grave conversation on the relationship between our livelihood as Canadians and the countless deaths that this livelihood calls for and quietly condones.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107782/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stuart J. Murray receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>
Ottawa’s response to Jamal Khashoggi’s murder doubles down on “human rights” rhetoric while failing to take action. It’s a matter of the death of some in exchange for the livelihood of others.
Stuart J. Murray, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Rhetoric and Ethics, Carleton University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/104215
2018-10-01T22:51:24Z
2018-10-01T22:51:24Z
The winners and losers in the new NAFTA
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238795/original/file-20181001-195275-q4bs87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland arrive to hold a news conference on the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Ottawa on Oct. 1, 2018.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>NAFTA is out but the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/usmca-nafta-trade-deal-1.4845219">United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA) is in.</a> </p>
<p>But how different is USMCA from NAFTA? Who loses and who wins? </p>
<p>Canadian negotiators and government officials are singing the praises of the new deal, still subject to approval by U.S. Congress. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Foreign
Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said the agreement <a href="https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2018/september/joint-statement-united-states">“will result in freer markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth in our region.”</a> </p>
<p>They added: “It will strengthen the middle class, and
create good, well-paying jobs and new opportunities for the nearly half billion people who call North America home.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238793/original/file-20181001-195272-itl4r2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238793/original/file-20181001-195272-itl4r2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238793/original/file-20181001-195272-itl4r2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238793/original/file-20181001-195272-itl4r2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238793/original/file-20181001-195272-itl4r2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238793/original/file-20181001-195272-itl4r2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238793/original/file-20181001-195272-itl4r2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In this January 2018 photo, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, centre, talks with United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, right, and Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal during NAFTA renegotiations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s understandable that the chief negotiators would try to sell the deal as a win-win-win agreement, but, like any deal resulting from long and at times acrimonious negotiations, it’s not quite that simple.</p>
<h2>Challenging trade practices</h2>
<p>The most significant achievement by Canadian negotiators is their success in <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4422423/nafta-chapter-19-explainer/">preserving Chapter 19</a> from the original NAFTA. These provisions allow Canada, Mexico and the United States to challenge one another’s anti-dumping and countervailing duties in front of a panel of representatives from each country. </p>
<p>This is generally a much easier, less costly and more predictable process than trying to challenge a trade practice in a U.S. court. Canada has successfully used Chapter 19 to <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/canada-calls-for-stop-to-us-softwood-lumber-duties/article37516085/">challenge the United States on its softwood lumber restrictions.</a></p>
<h2>Auto sector</h2>
<p>Canada has also staved off the tariffs Trump threatened to impose <a href="http://news.morningstar.com/all/canada-news-wire/20181001C6515/usmca-framework-achieves-auto-gains-unifor.aspx">on autos and auto parts</a> that could have devastated the Canadian auto industry, which contributes over $50 billion in income and sustains more than 500,000 direct and indirect well-paying jobs in Canada. </p>
<p>The agreement would shield the first 2.6 million Canadian car exports to the U.S. from any tariffs. This is significantly higher than the current 1.8 million cars that Canada on average exports to the U.S. annually. </p>
<p>Under the terms of the agreement starting in 2020, a car will qualify for tariff-free treatment only if 75 per cent of its contents are made in North America, up from 62.5 per cent in the current NAFTA. </p>
<p>In addition, at least initially, 30 per cent of the content must be produced by workers earning at least US$16 an hour. This will ramp up to 40 per cent in 2023. The wage is more than three times what the average Mexican autoworker earns now. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238794/original/file-20181001-195256-vhq83l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238794/original/file-20181001-195256-vhq83l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238794/original/file-20181001-195256-vhq83l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238794/original/file-20181001-195256-vhq83l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238794/original/file-20181001-195256-vhq83l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238794/original/file-20181001-195256-vhq83l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238794/original/file-20181001-195256-vhq83l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A worker on the production line at Chrysler’s assembly plant in Windsor, Ont., works on a minivan in January 2011.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite these successes, there are a few negatives to contend with that would affect this key industry. The wage hikes required in Mexico will undoubtedly raise the cost of production of North American cars and render a good part of them non-competitive on world markets, particularly in Asia. </p>
<p>While higher Mexican wages may discourage auto makers in Canada and the U.S. to relocate to Mexico, the new rules could create strong incentives for American and Canadian auto makers to move to Asia.</p>
<h2>The dairy industry</h2>
<p>The U.S. has repeatedly complained about the unfairness of Canada’s protection of its dairy industry as if the Americans don’t protect their own farmers. The Canadian supply management system is a far more efficient way to protect farmers’ incomes than the farm price support system in place in the United States. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, the U.S. got its way, forcing Canada to yield a larger market share for American dairy farmers. While Canada, under the new terms of the Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement, was willing to grant a 3.2 per cent market share to trade partners, under the USMCA, it yields 3.6 per cent. </p>
<p>Perhaps more significant is Canada’s willingness to eliminate the
pricing scheme for what is known as Class 7 dairy products allowing U.S. producers to out-compete Canadian farmers.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-dairy-lobbys-cash-grab-put-canada-in-trumps-crosshairs-102974">How the dairy lobby's cash grab put Canada in Trump’s crosshairs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The government <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2018/10/01/supply-management-saved-say-trudeau-and-freeland/">has already suggested</a> it will introduce
subsidies and farm income protection schemes that Canadian taxpayers will have to pay for. </p>
<h2>Drug patents</h2>
<p>A serious change is Canada’s acceptance of lengthening the patents of pharmaceutical companies to 10 years. This pretty much means that U.S. drug companies will now be able to sell pharmaceuticals in Canada for 10 years before facing generic competition. That’s up from the eight years of “market protection” that’s currently in place.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nafta-negotiations-may-threaten-pharmacare-102851">NAFTA negotiations may threaten pharmacare</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This means individuals, insurance companies and governments will pay more for pharmaceuticals.</p>
<h2>Intellectual property rights</h2>
<p>New and more stringent intellectual property rights rules and time limitations for the protection of patents and trademarks, including those for biotech, financial services and even domain names,
are included in USMCA. </p>
<p>While many believed that these updates were necessary given
that the original agreement was negotiated 25 years ago, Canada will benefit less from these protections than the U.S. given the differences in size of these sectors in both countries.</p>
<h2>Labour, environment</h2>
<p>The USMCA makes a number of significant upgrades to environmental and labour regulations, especially those in force in Mexico. The agreement stipulates that Mexican trucks that cross the
border into the United States must meet higher safety regulations, and that Mexican workers must have more ability to organize and form unions.</p>
<p>The real issue with these provisions, now as before, is this: Will these new standards be implemented in Mexico? <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/25/nafta-trump-drops-sunset-clause-demand-mexico">U.S. negotiators tried hard to introduce an automatic sunset clause on the deal but
failed to get their way.</a> </p>
<p>As things stand now, the USMCA stipulates that the three nations will automatically review the agreement after six years. If all parties agree it’s still working, then the deal will continue for the full 16-year period, with the ability to renew after that for another 16 years. </p>
<p>Trump did not get his wish for the sunset clause, but there will be an automatic review, although it won’t happen until long after Trump has vacated the Oval Office.</p>
<h2>Better than chaos</h2>
<p>So it’s incorrect to claim that all North Americans will be better off under the new deal. There will be losers, and there will be winners. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238798/original/file-20181001-195260-t56ad4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238798/original/file-20181001-195260-t56ad4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238798/original/file-20181001-195260-t56ad4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238798/original/file-20181001-195260-t56ad4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238798/original/file-20181001-195260-t56ad4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238798/original/file-20181001-195260-t56ad4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/238798/original/file-20181001-195260-t56ad4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">President Donald Trump announces a revamped North American free-trade deal in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The new deal, on the whole, is not any better than the
old deal, but it’s surely better than the uncertainty created by renegotiating NAFTA and the chaotic atmosphere created by Trump during the negotiations. </p>
<p>Judging by the performance of the stock markets <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2018/10/01/investing/stock-market-today-usmca-ge-tesla-dow/index.html">in both the U.S.</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/markets-usmca-1.4845414">Canada since the deal was announced</a>, Canadians are less convinced than Americans about the net benefits. The TSX rose by a modest 31 points while the Dow Jones climbed 193 points. The Canadian dollar strengthened, but that’s a mixed blessing.</p>
<p>If there’s any lesson to be learned after months of tense negotiations, it’s this: Canada should never again allow itself to be overly dependent upon one trading partner. Canada must diversify its products and services that liberate Canadians from the stranglehold of geography.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104215/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Atif Kubursi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Who are the winners and losers in the new USMCA? It’s complicated, but one thing’s for certain: Canada should never again allow itself to be overly dependent upon one trading partner.
Atif Kubursi, Professor Emeritus of Economics, McMaster University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/101634
2018-09-04T22:55:41Z
2018-09-04T22:55:41Z
Canada’s complicated relationship with international human rights law
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233265/original/file-20180823-149496-aaa2v9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a news conference in Ottawa in June 2018. A United Nations housing watchdog has criticized the Liberals over what it sees as their about-face on a promise to put a human rights lens on its housing strategy.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Human rights complicate diplomacy. The most recent example of this is <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4385506/canada-saudi-arabia-human-rights-position/">the dispute between Canada and Saudi Arabia</a> over the Saudis’ arrest and detention of four women’s human rights advocates.</p>
<p>The current Canadian government is to be commended for its stance. But Canada has not always been an advocate of human rights. Historically, Canada has had a complicated relationship with international human rights law.</p>
<p>International human rights law makes the individual a subject of international protection and prosecution. It was one of the great innovations of the liberal international order, the rules-based system established after the Second World War with the United Nations at its centre. It has reshaped the relationship between states and their citizens. </p>
<p>In the mid-1940s and ’50s, Ottawa actively opposed the UN human rights system. Its position was that the UN had no business interfering in Canada’s domestic affairs. </p>
<p>It feared that it would be criticized for laws such as the <a href="http://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/historical-perspective/en/timePortals/milestones/37mile.asp">1938 Dominion Elections Act</a>, which prohibited members of several racial and ethnic communities from voting. </p>
<p>Canada was the only liberal democracy to abstain from voting in favour of the 1948 <a href="http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a>. And Canadian officials actively opposed efforts to include economic, social and cultural rights in binding international law.</p>
<h2>A stand against apartheid</h2>
<p>Only in the early 1960s did Canada start to play a more active role at the UN. It convinced allies to support the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/cerd.aspx">International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination</a>, despite concerns that the treaty infringed upon freedom of expression. </p>
<p>But the principal reason for doing so had little to do with rights. African states saw the convention as a key tool in the struggle against apartheid regimes in southern Africa. Canadian officials feared that the Soviets would exploit any western opposition in order to gain favour with these countries.</p>
<p>From the mid-1970s to mid-’80s, Canada engaged in some courageous and innovative diplomacy at the UN. Officials drew attention to the plights of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/28/mothers-plaza-de-mayo-argentina-anniversary">disappeared in Argentina</a>, and of <a href="http://endgenocide.org/learn/past-genocides/the-cambodian-genocide/">refugees from Cambodia</a>. </p>
<p>They also introduced measures to strengthen the UN’s capacity to enforce international human rights law. But just a few years earlier in 1972, they had opted against supporting the draft <a href="http://legal.un.org/avl/ha/cspca/cspca.html">Convention and Protocol on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid</a>. </p>
<p>Canada feared that the reserve system governing Indigenous peoples here could be deemed a form of apartheid, and thus be illegal under international law.</p>
<h2>Shameful record on Indigenous rights</h2>
<p>Indeed, Canada’s record on the rights of Indigenous peoples is shameful. In the early 1980s, Ottawa first opposed efforts to recognize the distinct rights of Indigenous peoples. It is a practice that continued well into the 21st century. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234932/original/file-20180904-45169-1t5vyw4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234932/original/file-20180904-45169-1t5vyw4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234932/original/file-20180904-45169-1t5vyw4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234932/original/file-20180904-45169-1t5vyw4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234932/original/file-20180904-45169-1t5vyw4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234932/original/file-20180904-45169-1t5vyw4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234932/original/file-20180904-45169-1t5vyw4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An Indigenous resident of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation speaks about water and access issues in her community in February 2015. The Shoal Lake community, despite supplying water to the city of Winnipeg, was under a boil water advisory and lacks year-round road access.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Canada championed women’s human rights in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It led the charge on the <a href="http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/48/a48r104.htm">Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women</a>. In response to the atrocities being committed in the former Yugoslavia, it spearheaded efforts to have the “systematic practice of rape” recognized as a form of ethnic cleansing. </p>
<p>But during the mid-2000s to mid-2010s, the government was openly hostile to the UN human rights system. Its view was that the UN should use its resources to highlight the abuses of authoritarian regimes whose records were far worse than Canada’s. </p>
<p>Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for pundits and scholars of international affairs to lament the decline of the liberal international order. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, has on <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2017/06/address_by_ministerfreelandoncanadasforeignpolicypriorities.html">several occasions</a> said it’s in Canada’s interests to preserve the current order.</p>
<p>This means standing up for rights even when the costs of doing so are high. This is not something Canadians have always done in the past. But we will need to now if the current rules-based system is to survive another 70 years. </p>
<p>A world in which international human rights law is undermined is not one that will be kind to Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101634/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Thompson is affiliated with the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and is a Special Advisor to the World Refugee Council. From 2011 to 2017, he served on the board of Amnesty International Canada.</span></em></p>
If the liberal international order is to survive, countries like Canada will need to defend international human rights law.
Andrew Thompson, Adjunct Assistant Professor Political Science, and Fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/102545
2018-09-03T13:52:39Z
2018-09-03T13:52:39Z
The two key issues on the table to bring Canada back into NAFTA
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234551/original/file-20180902-195310-xrf0ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Improved access to Canada's dairy market for American producers is one of the key unresolved NAFTA issues.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Negotiations for a revised North American Free Trade Agreement have been ongoing for more than a year, but now it’s crunch time — especially for Canada.</p>
<p>What happens in the coming days will determine if NAFTA survives as a three-country trade pact or whether Canada will be left on the sidelines.</p>
<p>Since U.S. President Donald Trump announced <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-us-mexico-progress-monday-1.4800182">the United States had a deal with Mexico that could replace NAFTA</a>, Canadian negotiators have been putting on a brave face publicly. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nafta-trump-compromise-trudeau-1.4806240">was optimisitc</a> when talks took a break before the Labour Day weekend and <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/08/29/trudeau-nafta-deal_a_23512048/">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said</a> “no NAFTA deal is better than a bad NAFTA deal.”</p>
<p>Trump, for his part, took to Twitter to keep up the pressure on Canada.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1035905988682018816"}"></div></p>
<p>There are two significant issues still on the table: How to resolve inevitable trade disputes and Canada’s policies that protect its dairy industry from foreign competition.</p>
<h2>How will disputes be resolved?</h2>
<p>The first sticking point is the existing <a href="https://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/Home/Dispute-Settlement/Overview-of-the-Dispute-Settlement-Provisions">dispute settlement mechanism</a> — particularly relative to <a href="https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/sima-lmsi/menu-eng.html">anti-dumping or countervailing duties</a>. This is known as Chapter 19 in the current NAFTA pact.</p>
<p>Currently, each government can review the actions of others and make a determination of whether trade action against a sector is warranted. These determinations can be appealed to the relevant court in each country.</p>
<p>If the dispute is not resolved, it can be appealed to the <a href="http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/nafta-alena/fta-ale/celeb2.aspx?lang=eng">NAFTA Free Trade Commission</a> and further to a bilateral panel to arbitrate the dispute. The panellists (two from each country and an alternating chair) are appointed by the disputants. The decisions of these panels are binding. It is this last provision that apparently is <a href="https://cuellar.house.gov/uploadedfiles/draft_nafta_notification_3.29.17.pdf">the sticking point for U.S. negotiators</a>.</p>
<p>It is worth noting this aversion to dispute resolution is not specific to the Trump administration. When the original Canada-U.S. free trade agreement was negotiated 30 years ago, Brian Mulroney’s Conservative government also threatened to <a href="https://www.cba.org/Publications-Resources/CBA-Practice-Link/Business-and-Corporate/2017/Chapter-19-again">walk away without a deal over the issue on how to resolve disputes</a>. In 1988, U.S. negotiators only conceded at the 11th hour.</p>
<h2>Leave it to the courts</h2>
<p>The United States believes domestic court systems should be able to effectively determine the legality of specific actions and, as such, these panels are an affront to national sovereignty. Canada feels Chapter 19 is an essential element to ensure the fair implementation of freer trade.</p>
<p>Those who believe the panels are not necessary or effective point to the fact that Canada has won several findings in the <a href="https://www.cigionline.org/articles/lumber-fuels-us-effort-axe-resolution-panels">softwood lumber dispute</a> without actually getting a positive resolution. Past U.S. administrations have also ignored panel findings and forced the Canadians to strike compromise deals or face continued countervailing duties. The U.S. lumber industry remains one of the most vocal opponents of these dispute settlement panels. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-nafta-canada-must-find-new-global-markets-98430">Beyond NAFTA: Canada must find new global markets</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But others in all three countries argue the panels are an <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-big-challenge-of-the-nafta-renegotiations-dispute-settlement-82394">essential protection</a> despite not being frequently used in the past 10 years. There is little sign of bias because these panel findings are frequently unanimous.</p>
<p>In the end, there will be a mechanism to resolve disputes. Canada will have to decide whether retaining the panels is worth not making a deal. The U.S. will have to decide how far it wants to go on making concessions, balancing its desire for more sovereignty with the political reality of striking a deal that Congress will approve — a critical step in the final implementation of any new agreement.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234552/original/file-20180902-195307-i2lvp0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234552/original/file-20180902-195307-i2lvp0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234552/original/file-20180902-195307-i2lvp0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234552/original/file-20180902-195307-i2lvp0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234552/original/file-20180902-195307-i2lvp0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234552/original/file-20180902-195307-i2lvp0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234552/original/file-20180902-195307-i2lvp0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks during a news conference at the Canadian embassy after talks at the Office of the United States Trade Representative in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 31, 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Canada’s dairy policies a major issue</h2>
<p>Canada’s supply management system uses quotas supported by tariffs to stabilize its dairy markets. Many countries have support programs for agriculture generally and the dairy market specifically.</p>
<p>While there is some criticism within Canada of supply management — most notably <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-maxime-bernier-quits-to-launch-new-party-criticizes-morally-corrupt/">Maxime Bernier’s split from the Conservatives</a> — there is <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/after-supply-management-cut-from-debate-at-conservative-convention-some-members-ponder-backing-bernier">strong support among both the Liberal government and the opposition Conservatives</a> for protecting the dairy industry.</p>
<p>Access to the Canadian dairy market has been somewhat of an irritant in past trade negotiations.</p>
<p>From the beginning, supply-managed commodities were protected by tariffs, but some product has been allowed in (based on historical import shares) using import quotas. Products coming in under these import quotas are not subject to the high tariffs. The U.S. also uses <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2018/06/13/a-trumped-up-charge-against-canadian-dairy-tariffs/">import quotas and high tariffs to protect its dairy</a> and other industries.</p>
<h2>Canada has opened access for others</h2>
<p>As part of other new trade agreements, Canada has provided additional access (through import quotas) to the market.</p>
<p>The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union provided for additional access for European dairy products. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement also had provisions for additional market access — including the U.S. market, until the Trump administration withdrew from TPP.</p>
<p>Dairy became a specific irritant early in the Trump administration.</p>
<p>Shifting demand for milk components meant surpluses for milk protein, used to create a product called <a href="https://www.agweb.com/article/why-canadian-producers-arent-happy-with-imports-of-us-milk-proteins-naa-fran-howard/">diafiltered milk</a>. Because it’s a new product, U.S. diafiltered milk is not covered under previous trade agreements. This meant it could come in to Canadian processors, particularly cheese manufacturers, tariff-free. </p>
<p>In retaliation, Canadian milk protein producers first lobbied the government for protection and when none was forthcoming, changed pricing to protect their market. That in turn caused disruption in some U.S. markets — particularly in Wisconsin, an important state for Trump politically.</p>
<p>Even with the decreased volume in diafiltered milk, the U.S. still has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/06/11/what-u-s-trade-with-canada-actually-looks-like/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4548a798aeef">an export surplus with Canada in dairy products</a>. Regardless, it appears that this issue is a particular irritant for Trump.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1004871827406061573"}"></div></p>
<h2>Over-production, low prices</h2>
<p>The U.S. dairy industry, like many others around the world, is struggling with over-production and low prices. The U.S. also has a number of programs in place to support the dairy industry, which would need to be taken into consideration in any NAFTA negotiations around dairy trade.</p>
<p>The irony is the structure of some of the U.S. dairy support programs may actually be contributing to the over-production — surplus products are bought to support prices, which sends a signal to keep producing too much. </p>
<p>Completely open trade with Canada will not solve the issues facing the U.S. dairy industry, not least because the Canadian market is much smaller than the U.S. domestic market.</p>
<p>In the end, Canada is unlikely to yield on supply management. If a concession is made, it is likely to be in increased access. Canada had already provided an increase in access in the TPP negotiations.</p>
<p>This would seem to be an area of potential concession that would provide Trump with a “win” for farmers and allow the Canadians to sustain their domestic program. It would not be without pain for the Canadian industry, but may be the path to an agreement.</p>
<p>The final chapter of these lengthy NAFTA talks will come down to one key point: Is compromise possible?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102545/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael von Massow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Canada and the United States are back at the table to try to save NAFTA negotiations. Two key issues need to be resolved.
Michael von Massow, Associate Professor, Food Economics, University of Guelph
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/101488
2018-08-19T12:43:56Z
2018-08-19T12:43:56Z
How Canada could use the Saudi quarrel to help the Middle East – and itself
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232174/original/file-20180815-2897-1s1jokn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women were only just granted permission to drive in Saudi Arabia, a kingdom with an atrocious human rights record. Canada can and should leverage its ongoing spat with the country to advocate for human rights across the Middle East.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The diplomatic row <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-arabia-suspends-trade-canada-ambassador-1.4775133">that erupted</a> between Canada and Saudi Arabia is based on a mild criticism of an autocracy’s human rights abuses that normally <a href="https://twitter.com/RexBrynen/status/1028020301362163713">does not get</a> much response. </p>
<p>Yet the Saudi overreaction presents Canada with an opportunity to rethink its Middle East policy. Canada could choose a new path based on universal human rights that would greatly benefit not just Saudi Arabians but those in the broader Middle East and Canadians too.</p>
<h2>Mild rebuke</h2>
<p>Canada’s critique was quite mild considering how horrible the Saudi government’s <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/saudi-arabia">human rights</a> record is. For decades, millions of Saudi citizens and <a href="http://al-bab.com/blog/2017/06/saudi-arabia-elected-un-body-promoting-workers-rights">indentured labourers</a> have been forced to live in fear under an extremist form of religious rule that <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alastair-crooke/isis-wahhabism-saudi-arabia_b_5717157.html">inspired ISIS</a>. </p>
<p>This rule is enforced by a repressive <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2vbs9ZppP4">religious police</a> and brutal <a href="https://youtu.be/qTaklcWDrSA?t=4m37s">Mabahith</a> secret police. </p>
<p>Religious freedom is <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-reports/saudi-arabias-curriculum-intolerance">non-existent</a> and the situation for women is so bad that they only recently earned the right to drive. Meanwhile, they can still be charged for crimes like <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-world-of-gulf-state-slavery">defaming their husbands</a> and important decisions are left to the authority of a <a href="http://www.theweek.co.uk/60339/things-women-cant-do-in-saudi-arabia">male guardian</a>. </p>
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<p>In Saudi Arabia, counter-terrorism laws are used <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/saudi-arabia/report-saudi-arabia/">to stop human rights</a> work. Teens face death by <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabias-human-rights-abuses-10-examples-a6794576.html">beheading or crucifixion</a> for engaging in protest, Indigenous minority communities <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/08/07/saudi-arabia-canada-tweet/">are severely</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/middleeast/saudi-arabia-awamiya/index.html">repressed</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-crucified-man-in-mecca-while-calling-out-canada-human-rights-2018-8">same-sex relationships</a> are punishable by death and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/saudi-arabias-war-on-witchcraft/278701/">“sorcery”</a> is too. </p>
<p>While counter-terrorism laws are used to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/06/un-accuses-saudi-arabia-of-using-anti-terror-laws-to-justify-torture">suppress human rights</a> at home, Saudi donors generously <a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-qa-is-saudi-arabia-funding-isis">fund terrorism</a> worldwide. Without coincidence, 15 of the 19 <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/finding-discussion-and-narrative-regarding-certain-sensitive-narrative-matters-saudi-arabia-911-11-a6999091.html">hijackers on 9-11</a> were Saudi. In fact, the Saudi regime seems to see terrorists as a tool, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/10266957/Saudis-offer-Russia-secret-oil-deal-if-it-drops-Syria.html">threatening Russia with them</a> at the 2012 Sochi Winter Olympics. </p>
<p>This all adds gravity to a threat tweeted from a Saudi <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-twitter-account-axed-after-seeming-to-threaten-9-11-style-attack-on-canada/">government-linked</a> account implying a suicide attack by an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-appeared-to-threaten-canada-with-a-911-style-attack-2018-8">Air Canada jet</a> on Toronto’s iconic CN tower.</p>
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<p>The Saudi regime has also been actively oppressing people abroad and contributing to the Middle East’s instability. This includes <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/3/bahrain-uprisinginterventionsaudiarabiaemirates.html">invading Bahrain</a> to stop <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bahrain-satellite-photos-of-inequality-2013-4">a popular uprising</a>, and imposing a blockade on Qatar that might <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/08/01/rex-tillerson-qatar-saudi-uae/">have been an invasion</a> if not stopped by former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. </p>
<p>These interventions further involve <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saad-hariri-latest-update-lebanon-hezbollah-saudi-arabia-kidnapping-prime-minister-return-war-a8048571.html">kidnapping</a> the <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/surprise-resignation-of-lebanon-prime-minister-saad-hariri-saudi-arabia-tv-interview">Lebanese prime minister</a>, strained relations <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/why-uae-hostile-turkey-1184696487">with Turkey</a> tied to the failed 2016 coup there and significant <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/20/saudi-arabia-coup-egypt">financial support</a> for the Egyptian dictator that overthrew a Turkish-backed democratic government. Saudi Arabia also contributed to <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/giorgio-cafiero/the-uae-and-qatar-wage-a-_b_8801602.html">Libya’s instability</a> and <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/13/middleeast/yemen-children-school-bus-strike-intl/index.html">led a brutal</a> <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/09/yemen-the-forgotten-war/">war in Yemen</a> that has created the world’s worst humanitarian <a href="https://www.hrw.org/middle-east/n-africa/yemen">catastrophe</a>. </p>
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<p>The Saudi regime has done this all <a href="https://www.npr.org/2011/02/24/133991181/twenty-years-later-first-iraq-war-still-resonates">under the protection</a> of the West. In return, it offers economic buy-offs such as keeping petroleum and investments flowing to countries <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-saudi-arabia-neil-macdonald-1.3251239">like Canada</a>. It also includes direct and indirect <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/its-time-for-canada-to-take-the-next-step-against-saudi-arabia/">financing of</a> influential political families like <a href="https://www.salon.com/2004/03/12/unger_2/">the Bushes</a>, <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/trump-clinton-foundation-224287">the Clintons</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dc4LF3uVm4">the Trumps</a>, <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/blair-advising-saudi-under-9m-deal-between-country-and-his-institute-report-1679707539">the Blairs</a>, <a href="http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/news-comment/3017-philip-may-profiting-from-wife-s-military-policies">the Mays</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brian-mulroney-institute-paradise-papers-1.4425014">the Mulroneys</a> and <a href="https://nowtoronto.com/news/john-baird-strikes-gold-with-barrick/">the Bairds</a>.</p>
<h2>Two wrongs don’t make a right</h2>
<p>In response to Canada’s human rights criticism, pro-regime social media users pointed out Canada’s failures, like its <a href="http://homelesshub.ca/resource/state-homelessness-canada-2014">homelessness crisis</a> and long history <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/05/31/how-many-first-nations-kids-died-in-residential-schools-justice-murray-sinclair-says-canada-needs-answers.html">of abuse</a> of First Nations peoples. There is also Canada’s distinct double standard on <a href="https://canadatalksisraelpalestine.ca/2018/06/05/whats-behind-the-trudeau-governments-new-phrasing-that-canada-is-a-friend-of-israel-and-a-friend-of-the-palestinian-people/">Palestinian</a> human rights.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-saudi-canada-spat-both-countries-are-wrong-101248">The Saudi-Canada spat: Both countries are wrong</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Yet Canada’s worst shortcomings are no basis to argue for a Saudi status quo. </p>
<p>Contrary to the views of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/12/saudi-arabia-spat-canada-mohammed-bin-salman-true-colours">mainstream media</a>, Saudi Arabia is not reforming under the progressive leadership of a visionary millennial crown prince. Instead, it is reacting to unending pressure from <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-economy/saudi-arabia-avoids-financial-crisis-now-for-the-hard-part-idUSKBN1801P0">economic turmoil</a> and an oppressed population seeking freedom. Those pressures are compounded by expensive foreign interventions and funding <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/07/wikileaks-cables-saudi-princes-parties">the lavish</a> <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/popular-instagram-account-shows-off-the-elite-lifestyles-of-worlds-richest-young-people/news-story/5047eb9ca4ccf1fd9d81917f239113b7">lifestyles</a> of the Saudi elite in a country with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/01/saudi-arabia-riyadh-poverty-inequality">significant poverty</a>. </p>
<p>Meaningless “reforms” like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/20/saudi-arabias-first-cinema-in-over-35-years-opens-with-black-panther">opening cinemas</a> are offered by an elite desperate to retain the levers of power. They are fearful of the spread of democracy and project these insecurities abroad. The row with Canada only serves as a distraction from the regime’s serious domestic issues and <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-saudi-arabias-bold-move-has-nothing-to-do-with-canada/">foreign-policy blunders</a>.</p>
<h2>Nothing to gain for Canada</h2>
<p>Yet the Canadian public has <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2018/08/09/stakes-are-low-in-canada-saudi-arabia-squabble.html">little to gain</a> from wooing a despotic regime <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/saudi-official-says-oil-sales-unaffected-by-dispute-with-canada-1.4045917">desperate to sell</a> its <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-arabia-imf/saudi-arabia-needs-oil-at-85-87-a-barrel-to-balance-budget-imf-official-idUSKBN1I30H7">single resource</a>. If the diplomatic row escalates to the extent that Saudi Arabia cancels its military contract <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2018/08/10/on-saudi-arabia-canadas-stance-is-principled-but-conflicted.html">for Canadian</a> armoured assault vehicles, all the better for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/justin-trudeau-defends-canada-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia">the people</a> they are <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/saudis-use-armoured-vehicles-to-suppress-internal-dissent-videos-show/article29970955/">used against</a>. </p>
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<p>Instead, this dispute offers Canada the chance to reflect and to adopt a new foreign policy based on advancing human rights in the Middle East, and supporting the right of the Saudi people to determine their <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/saudis-economic-future-six-problems-it-needs-solve-vision-2030-plan-1907352248">own fate</a>. </p>
<p>Real change would dramatically improve daily life there, contribute to regional stability and reduce poverty through better governance. One can also only imagine how appreciative those people would be of Canada for having advanced their rights, not opposed them.</p>
<p>If in the process Canada is improved by reflecting on its own failings, all the better.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101488/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy Wildeman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The Saudi-Canadian row offers Canada an opportunity to adopt a new Middle East policy based on universal human rights that address the needs of the many and contributes to regional stability.
Jeremy Wildeman, Research Associate in International Development, University of Bath
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/101410
2018-08-15T23:03:01Z
2018-08-15T23:03:01Z
When Canada did – and didn’t – stand up for human rights
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232096/original/file-20180815-2924-1fl15tf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The leaders of the 18 Asia-Pacific economies pose for a family photo in Vancouver in 1997. Indonesia's Suharto is sixth from the left. Protests against human rights violations were kept hidden from Suharto during the summit. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Justin Trudeau’s government is under fire not only from Saudi government officials, but also from some Canadians who have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-arabia-tweet-sanctions-canada-twitter-1.4777825">implictly criticized</a> Global Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland for being too aggressive in advocating for the release of Saudi human rights activists. </p>
<p>A tweet from the minister expressed her support for the activists, while her department followed up the next day with another seeking the “immediate release” of Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah. </p>
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<p>None of it was anything unusual: Western diplomats call for the “immediate release” of political prisoners all the time. </p>
<p>Canada’s <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/national/opinion-canadian-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-human-rights-and-raif-badawi">Parliament unanimously called for the “immediate release” of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi</a> (Samar’s brother) in 2015. That followed a similar <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-stands-firm-on-support-for-saudi-blogger-raif-badawi/article23755574/">unanimous motion for Badawi’s “immediate release” by the Quebec National Assembly</a>. </p>
<p>The same U.S. State Department official who <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-us-sidesteps-getting-involved-in-escalating-saudi-canada-dispute/">now asks Canada and Saudi Arabia to sort out their dispute</a> called on Russia earlier this year to <a href="https://twitter.com/statedeptspox/status/1004124328731045888">“immediately release” Ukrainian prisoners</a>. Navi Pillai, then-United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2014/07/472742-saudi-arabia-un-concerned-harsh-sentences-against-human-rights-defenders">urged Saudi authorities in 2014</a> “to immediately release all human rights defenders.” Saudi Arabia imposed no sanctions on the U.N. – instead it stayed in, and soon afterwards sought and won a seat on U.N. Human Rights Council.</p>
<p>“Saudi Arabia must immediately free women human rights defenders held in crackdown,” <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23270&LangID=E">nine U.N. experts added</a> in June 2018 — again prompting no Saudi attack on the UN or its Human Rights Council (of which the Saudi kingdom remains a member). </p>
<h2>Nothing remarkable</h2>
<p>So there’s little remarkable in Freeland’s anodyne call on Twitter for the “immediate release” of two Saudi activists. It is typical diplomatic language, and actually falls short of what the United Nations human rights system has said on several occasions. </p>
<p>What is remarkable is that <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-saudi-arabias-bold-move-has-nothing-to-do-with-canada/">Saudi government reaction</a> has allowed Canada to be portrayed as a human rights champion even as it continues to <a href="https://www.opencanada.org/features/latest-saudi-behaviour-another-reason-cancel-arms-deal/">arm Saudi Arabia</a> and thus implicitly accepts Saudi human rights violations. </p>
<p>The incident recalls other times when authoritarian regimes have reacted with anger to Canadian words on human rights. Some lessons might be drawn from these past incidents. </p>
<p>There were similar clashes between Canada and Indonesia back in the 1990s, a time when Indonesia’s military regime was a lightning rod for human rights concerns in ways similar to Saudi Arabia today. </p>
<p>In 1991, Indonesian soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters in East Timor, now Timor-Leste. They had invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975 and had occupied it ever since, at the cost of more than 100,000 dead. The <a href="https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/school-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/timor-companion/santa-cruz">massacre at the Santa Cruz cemetery</a> in the Timorese capital, Dili, prompted a wave of protest in Canada. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231749/original/file-20180813-2909-1nsqvmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231749/original/file-20180813-2909-1nsqvmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231749/original/file-20180813-2909-1nsqvmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231749/original/file-20180813-2909-1nsqvmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231749/original/file-20180813-2909-1nsqvmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231749/original/file-20180813-2909-1nsqvmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231749/original/file-20180813-2909-1nsqvmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children hold photos of the victims of the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre during the 19th commemoration in Dili, East Timor, in November 2010.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Jordao Henrique)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Barbara McDougall, foreign minister in Brian Mulroney’s Conservative government, <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=yWkWnQRy7WsC&pg=PA174&lpg=PA174&dq=mcdougall+freezes+aid+indonesia&source=bl&ots=7CnQEze3hy&sig=ptVgYUO7Qg9vcIU2cmnamkCKCp4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib7MLvmuPcAhXnxlkKHfm7COYQ6AEwAHoECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=mcdougall%20freezes%20aid%20indonesia&f=false">froze three planned aid projects to Indonesia</a> and stopped permitting Canadian arms sales to the Suharto regime. </p>
<p>When the Netherlands also froze its aid, Indonesia responded with fury. It <a href="http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/12686/">rejected any future Dutch aid</a> and forced the dissolution of the Dutch-led consortium that co-ordinated foreign aid to Indonesia in favour of a more compliant Consultative Group on Indonesia. </p>
<p>Indonesian anger also targeted Canada, as Canadian foreign affairs files reveal. Ottawa was “treating us like a child,” complained one Indonesian cabinet minister. Another accused Canada of a “colonial mentality.” The Canadian Business Association in Jakarta warned against “meddling in the internal affairs” of Indonesia. </p>
<h2>McDougall stood firm</h2>
<p>Yet <a href="http://etanaction.blogspot.com/2016/11/25-years-after-santa-cruz-massacre-did.html">despite lobbying by Canadian businesses</a> and by Trade Minister Michael Wilson, McDougall declined to grant new aid or permit arms sales to Indonesia. Canadian diplomats worked quietly to maintain open channels with Indonesian counterparts, and McDougall stood firm. Opposition parties agreed and even called on her to go further. Canada maintained its position and bilateral relations continued relatively smoothly. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231751/original/file-20180813-2903-1pei01e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231751/original/file-20180813-2903-1pei01e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=782&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231751/original/file-20180813-2903-1pei01e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=782&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231751/original/file-20180813-2903-1pei01e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=782&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231751/original/file-20180813-2903-1pei01e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=983&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231751/original/file-20180813-2903-1pei01e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=983&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231751/original/file-20180813-2903-1pei01e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=983&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson (right) shares a laugh with Barbara McDougall after presenting her with the Order of Canada during a investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall in October 2001.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(CP PHOTO/Jonathan Hayward)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Public protests in Canada, however, continued to spark Indonesian government rage. In 1994, Guelph University held an arms-length review of its regional development project in Indonesia. When the review handed down a critical comment on human rights in Indonesia, <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=JMfP-kb7QiAC&pg=PA196&lpg=PA196&dq=guelph+university+indonesia+sulawesi+timor&source=bl&ots=FqcJOt8UZ-&sig=V_Skj13vq66KgmVfdSkAZq4aiYQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj54OH4nePcAhXLslkKHSYZC_EQ6AEwAnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false">the Indonesian government immediately pulled the plug</a>, giving project staff six weeks to get out of the country.</p>
<p>When a Timorese refugee in Canada, <a href="https://greenvillage-timor.org/about-bella/">Bella Galhos</a>, started to campaign for Timorese human rights from her new home in Ottawa, Indonesian diplomats tried to pressure her through her family. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231755/original/file-20180813-2906-1cx0of0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231755/original/file-20180813-2906-1cx0of0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231755/original/file-20180813-2906-1cx0of0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231755/original/file-20180813-2906-1cx0of0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231755/original/file-20180813-2906-1cx0of0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231755/original/file-20180813-2906-1cx0of0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231755/original/file-20180813-2906-1cx0of0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bella Galhos at a news conference in Ottawa in September 1999.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(CP PHOTO/Fred Chartrand)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Benjamin Parwoto, Indonesia’s ambassador to Canada, <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=fMJADwAAQBAJ&pg=PA215&lpg=PA215&dq=bella+galhos+parwoto&source=bl&ots=QcXuaX4ulX&sig=AVp3mF0mFLZMvhSS3-IkMEqPlGY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwio--2snuPcAhWjzlkKHQxXCHMQ6AEwDXoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false">visited Galhos’s mother in Dili</a> accompanied by a military escort, making what appeared to be threats. </p>
<p>Galhos went public and Parwoto was raked over the coals in the Canadian media and summoned for a tongue-lashing by Lloyd Axworthy, foreign minister in Jean Chrétien’s Liberal government. </p>
<p>Through this diplomatic clash, Canadian diplomats remained firm that they would advocate for the safety of a Canadian resident’s family. Galhos’s family was a valid topic of Canadian concern, not an Indonesian internal affair. The parallel to current events is clear: Canada spoke out for Samar Badawi in part due to previous advocacy for her brother Raif, whose wife, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ensaf-haidar-raif-badawi-saudi-canada-relations-1.4775315">Ensaf Haidar, lives in Quebec</a> with their children. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231752/original/file-20180813-2921-1q9aagu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231752/original/file-20180813-2921-1q9aagu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231752/original/file-20180813-2921-1q9aagu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231752/original/file-20180813-2921-1q9aagu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231752/original/file-20180813-2921-1q9aagu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231752/original/file-20180813-2921-1q9aagu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231752/original/file-20180813-2921-1q9aagu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ensaf Haidar is seen in this photo standing in front of a poster of her husband, Raif Badawi, in June 2015 in Montreal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In these early 1990s cases, Canada’s government stated concerns on human rights grounds and did not back down when Indonesian officials responded with anger and threats. It did not use tweets, a form of communication that did not yet exist, but it did use the 1990s equivalent — written statements made available to the media and the public. </p>
<p>Canada emerged with less credit in 1997, when it was scheduled to host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit at the University of British Columbia. </p>
<h2>The APEC protests</h2>
<p>Chrétien and Axworthy were keen to make sure the summit succeeded, and pressed hard for Gen. Suharto to attend. Yet <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/we-were-at-this-tipping-point-apec-protests-at-ubc-continue-to-shape-politics-20-years-later-1.4417358">activists in Canada</a> continued to make Indonesia’s human rights record a public controversy. They plastered the streets of Vancouver and other cities with posters of Suharto’s face and the slogan “Wanted: for crimes against humanity.” </p>
<p>This enraged Indonesian diplomats, who called the posters “soft terrorist tactics” and threatened a boycott of APEC and other damage to Canada-Indonesia relations. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5CWNKp0Uyyw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CBC News.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The cost to obtain Suharto’s presence included a promise to spare the Indonesian president the sight of protesters. When activists armed with arrest warrants tried to carry out a citizens’ arrest of Suharto, they were promptly arrested by RCMP officers. </p>
<p>The RCMP later used pepper spray to stop protesters from scaling a fence that marked off the APEC meeting zone, and forcibly cleared the roads leading out of the meeting area at summit’s end, using force to keep Ottawa’s promises that Suharto would not witness any protesters.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231754/original/file-20180813-2900-swzpjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231754/original/file-20180813-2900-swzpjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231754/original/file-20180813-2900-swzpjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231754/original/file-20180813-2900-swzpjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231754/original/file-20180813-2900-swzpjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231754/original/file-20180813-2900-swzpjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231754/original/file-20180813-2900-swzpjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A demonstrator is assisted after getting pepper spray in her eyes when police used the spray to break up a demonstration at the APEC Summit in Vancouver in November 1997.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Dan Loh)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/police-behaviour-at-apec-97-poses-fundamental-questions-that-go-far-beyond-who-got-pepper-sprayed-and-why/article767820/">police crackdown on protests at APEC</a> saw Canada’s government painted as an enemy rather than a defender of free speech. </p>
<p>Faced with Indonesian anger and threats, Canada had surrendered to Indonesian demands. It emerged looking weak and won no favours from Indonesia in return. </p>
<p>When Axworthy considered offering Canadian “good offices” to mediate the East Timor dispute, the Indonesian foreign minister refused on the grounds that “Canadian NGOs are the most ferociously anti-Indonesian in the world and he is skeptical, therefore, of the Canadian government’s ability to resist domestic political pressure and maintain its neutrality.” </p>
<h2>Public pressure advances human rights</h2>
<p>The comparison of these 1990s cases suggests that when confronted with threats, Canada best serves its interests by standing firm. It also suggests that public expressions of diplomatic concern, rather than “quiet diplomacy” alone, are a useful tool for rights advocacy. </p>
<p>Indonesia felt the growing pressure so much so that, by 1998, it allowed a <a href="https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/school-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/timor-companion/countdown">referendum in East Timor</a> to resolve the issue one way or the other — a Timorese demand that Indonesia’s government had refused for many years. In that referendum, the Timorese opted massively for independence. </p>
<p>The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is now southeast Asia’s most democratic state and makes <a href="https://www.asiapacific.ca/canada-asia-agenda/15-years-after-independence-whatever-happened-east-timor">useful and creative diplomatic contributions </a> to this day. Public debate in Canada and other countries over human rights in Timor and Indonesia helped make this possible. </p>
<p>If there is a lesson from Canada-Indonesia clashes, it is that Canadian rights advocacy, both private and public, can be useful — and that Canada should not surrender to threats from authoritarian states to abandon advocacy. </p>
<p>Ironically, Canada’s words on human rights in Timor and Indonesia were stronger than those offered recently by Freeland on Saudi Arabia — and unlike Freeland’s words, were sometimes backed by concrete actions. </p>
<p>The Saudi incident, in fact, has displayed a stark gap between Canada’s strong words on human rights, in the Badawi case and others, and the lack of teeth behind those words — shown best by Canada lecturing others on human rights while trying to sell arms arms that in turn will be used to violate these very human rights.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-checkered-history-of-arms-sales-to-human-rights-violators-91559">Canada’s checkered history of arms sales to human rights violators</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101410/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Webster receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p>
Canada’s clashes with Indonesia in the 1990s over human rights abuses contain lessons for the current Canadian-Saudi Arabian diplomatic dispute.
David Webster, Associate Professor of History, Bishop's University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/101306
2018-08-13T22:19:40Z
2018-08-13T22:19:40Z
The major trade implications of the Canada-Saudi Arabia spat
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231713/original/file-20180813-2918-11s42wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In this 2015 photo, Ensaf Haidar, wife of the jailed Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi, shows a portrait of her husband in France. The arrest of Badawi's sister is at the heart of a diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia that will significantly affect trade between the two countries. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Christian Lutz)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A diplomatic spat between two countries may seem only political at first, but the ongoing Canada-Saudi Arabia spat could have serious economic ramifications as well. </p>
<p>Over the years, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/twec.12392">international political economy research</a> has demonstrated that bilateral diplomacy has significant economic impacts, especially on bilateral flows such as trade and investment between countries.</p>
<p>Indeed, the influence of politics on international trade has gained acceptance in economics. An increasing <a href="http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/187119111x566751">number of studies</a> have found that diplomatic relationships between nations, taking the form of state visits, trade missions and the presence of vibrant consulates and embassies, are significant determinants of bilateral trade between countries. A <a href="http://pure.au.dk/portal/files/101924987/wp16_09.pdf">current study</a> in the <a href="https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/research-handbook-on-economic-diplomacy"><em>Research Handbook of Economic Diplomacy</em></a> found that bilateral diplomatic relations can even have a more pronounced influence on trade than economic integration between two countries.</p>
<p>Conversely, strained political relationships between states can also harm trade between them. Diplomatic tensions among nations increase the risk of trade disruption, mainly because trade must be more profitable than usual to compensate for the risks of disruptions and irritants in the political relationship. </p>
<p>For instance, in my recent study published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S017626801730616X"><em>European Journal of Political Economy</em></a> I estimated that imposing economic sanctions can reduce trade flow between the sender and its target by 17 to 32 per cent.</p>
<h2>The Danish cartoons & trade</h2>
<p>A specific example is the case of <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001316.html">the Muhammad cartoons in 2005-06</a>, when a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad that were considered by some to be blasphemous or defamatory towards Muslims. This led to a call for consumer boycotts of Danish goods in a number of Islamic nations, including Saudi Arabia. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022199615001725">Empirical evidence</a> indicates the diplomatic spat disrupted Danish exports as much as 18 per cent.</p>
<p>Diplomatic relationships are relevant in minimizing potential risks that businesses encounter in their foreign operations. Various forms of risks —including political, legal and credit woes — may discourage potential exporters from entering foreign markets. </p>
<p>But those risks can be minimized if there are established diplomatic or political ties between countries. This is mainly because they will signal or give assurances to international firms that their governments are on good terms, and thus their interests will be respected.</p>
<h2>Canada & Saudi Arabia</h2>
<p>The diplomatic rift between Canada and Saudi Arabia was the apparent result of a single tweet from Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s global affairs minister, calling for the release of a human right activist.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1025030172624515072"}"></div></p>
<p>The tweet not only resulted into diplomatic brawl, but also the suspension of trade and investment ties between the two countries. This will also culminate in possible travel bans as the Saudi government plans to suspend international flights by the Saudi national airline from Riyadh and Jeddah to Toronto.</p>
<p>The consequences of these rising diplomatic tensions don’t just have political ramifications, such as the recall of ambassadors, but could have deleterious economic outcomes for both countries because of the hampering of trade between the two countries.</p>
<p>Trade volume between Canada and Saudi Arabia exceeded US$3 billion in 2017. The trend shows a steady increase in bilateral trade over the years, since 2002, as depicted in the figure below: </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231539/original/file-20180811-2912-1ve16j0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231539/original/file-20180811-2912-1ve16j0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231539/original/file-20180811-2912-1ve16j0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231539/original/file-20180811-2912-1ve16j0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231539/original/file-20180811-2912-1ve16j0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231539/original/file-20180811-2912-1ve16j0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231539/original/file-20180811-2912-1ve16j0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231539/original/file-20180811-2912-1ve16j0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">UN Comtrade data</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Consistently, the trade flow between them increased, even at the peak of the global financial crisis a decade ago. However, this consistent increase was derailed slightly by a minor diplomatic spat in 2008-09 following an ultimately unsuccessful attempt by Saudi Arabia <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/canadian-once-set-for-execution-freed-from-saudi-prison-1.1371554">to publicly behead a Canadian citizen.</a> The consequence was a dip in trade flows between both countries in 2009.</p>
<h2>What products will be affected?</h2>
<p>Specific products that may be adversely affected by this strained relationship are illustrated in the figure below, showing the values and the percentage of specific products that Canada exports to Saudi Arabia:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231538/original/file-20180811-2906-1hsrdov.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231538/original/file-20180811-2906-1hsrdov.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231538/original/file-20180811-2906-1hsrdov.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231538/original/file-20180811-2906-1hsrdov.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231538/original/file-20180811-2906-1hsrdov.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231538/original/file-20180811-2906-1hsrdov.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=609&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231538/original/file-20180811-2906-1hsrdov.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=609&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231538/original/file-20180811-2906-1hsrdov.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=609&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">UN Comtrade data</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Vehicle and transport equipment account for the highest share of Canada’s export to the kingdom, totalling over US$500 million in 2017. Losing a market that accounts for half a billion dollars is significant, particularly because U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs are also negatively affecting this industry in Canada at the moment.</p>
<p>The Canadian agri-food sector could also be adversely affected if the diplomatic spat affects its exports. Agri-food exports from Canada to Saudi Arabia amounted to about US$93 million in 2017, and together they account for about nine per cent of Canada’s total exports to the Saudi kingdom. </p>
<p>Specifically, cereals, oil seeds and <a href="https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/ic/sbms/cid/searchProductResults.html;jsessionid=00017mJnX39Ub_MkOe0ILgBSLaV:-O03?hs4startCode=1201&hs4endCode=1214&hs6Code=1201">oleaginous fruits</a> (fruits used to produce vegetable oils) together account for five per cent of total exports to Saudi Arabia. Already, the Saudis have indicated they will stop <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-fix-big-mistake-saudi-foreign-minister-1.4777438">purchasing Canadian wheat and barley</a>.</p>
<p>Canada has a trade deficit with Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom’s imports are dominated mostly by crude oil. Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances and mineral waxes account for 95 per cent of total imports from Saudi Arabia, totalling about US$1.9 billion in 2017. </p>
<p>Considering that crude oil is a hot commodity, the Saudis can easily find new buyers, even if Canada also decides to boycott Saudi’s oil in retaliation.</p>
<h2>Maintaining diplomatic ties is critical</h2>
<p>The trade-deteriorating effect of diplomatic tensions are real, even without explicit economic sanctions among states. What’s more, threats of trade boycotts by autocratic regimes can be carried out with much more ease than in democratic countries. </p>
<p>Saudi Arabia is an autocratic state, and its administration has a greater capacity and authority to enforce the boycotts, even over private businesses. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231701/original/file-20180813-2891-14xj4z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231701/original/file-20180813-2891-14xj4z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231701/original/file-20180813-2891-14xj4z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231701/original/file-20180813-2891-14xj4z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231701/original/file-20180813-2891-14xj4z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231701/original/file-20180813-2891-14xj4z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231701/original/file-20180813-2891-14xj4z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protesters on Parliament Hill demonstrate against Saudi Arabia’s decision to behead Canadian Mohamed Kohail. He was freed in 2012.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tom Hanson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It will be therefore in the best interests of both countries to safeguard their good diplomatic relations. They should not allow a mere tweet to derail the cordial relationship that has existed between them for years. Strong diplomatic ties are undeniably important in order to deepen the bilateral economic and trade relationship between Canada and Saudi Arabia. </p>
<p>Western countries must understand that it is only possible to improve human rights conditions in despotic countries by maintaining diplomatic ties, otherwise the use of force and sanctions will <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12142-009-0126-2">curtail political and civil rights</a> and further <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03050629.2010.502436">deteriorate human rights and democratic freedom</a> of the civilian population.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101306/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia could have serious economic ramifications as well. When diplomatic ties are cut, research shows trade suffers significantly.
Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor, Assistant Professor, Agri-Food Trade and Policy, University of Guelph
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/101248
2018-08-09T21:39:25Z
2018-08-09T21:39:25Z
The Saudi-Canada spat: Both countries are wrong
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231360/original/file-20180809-30446-1xwe30d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ensaf Haidar stands next to a poster of her husband, jailed blogger Raif Badawi, in Montreal in June 2015. The arrest of Badawi's sister, Samar, is at the centre of a bitter spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The sudden and unexpected diplomatic crisis between Canada and Saudi Arabia has raised questions about their levels of bilateral economic relations, the $12 billion arms sale signed by the two countries in 2014 and the fate of thousands of Saudi students pursuing higher education at Canadian universities. </p>
<p>This spat was ignited when the Saudi government ordered the expulsion of Canada’s ambassador to the kingdom and announced a halt to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabias-spat-with-canada-risks-backlash-from-investors-1533577486">“all new business and investment transactions with Canada”</a>. This was in response to tweets from Canada’s foreign affairs minister, Chrystia Freeland, and her ministry’s Twitter account criticizing the arrest of human rights activist Samar Badawi. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1025030172624515072"}"></div></p>
<p>But before delving into the repercussions of this crisis, an overall assessment of Canadian-Saudi relations is needed.</p>
<h2>Substantial trade</h2>
<p>According to a fact sheet published on the Canadian government’s website, <a href="http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/ci-ci/assets/pdfs/fact_sheet-fiche_documentaire/SaudiArabia-FS-en.pdf">Saudi Arabia is Canada’s largest trade partner in the Middle East and North Africa</a>. The overall trade value between the two nations fluctuated between C$3-4 billion between 2011 and 2017, with Canadian exports of about $1 billion and imports of $2-3 billion.</p>
<p>While not negligible, these numbers don’t compare to Canada’s two-way trade with the United States, which amounted to <a href="https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/americas/canada">US$673.9 billion in 2017</a>. Nonetheless, Riyadh’s move to freeze all business with Ottawa could deprive Canada of tremendous opportunities for collaboration and investment in Saudi Arabia. </p>
<p>With the <a href="http://vision2030.gov.sa/en/node/132">new Vision 2030</a> launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom is becoming increasingly open to foreign direct investment. It’s diversifying its infrastructure projects and planning a shift to a green economy that is less dependent on fossil fuels. All of these sectors present commercial opportunities for Canadian industries, but Ottawa seems on its way to missing out on them.</p>
<p>There is also a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-lav-deal-1.4585035">$15 billion deal</a> to sell light armoured vehicles (LAVs) to Saudi Arabia that is now in jeopardy. The deal, if scrapped, could be a blow to Canada’s defence industry, which <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2016/04/22/we-cant-always-sell-weapons-to-people-we-like-john-manley/">employs 65,000 people and contributes $6 billion annually to Canada’s GDP</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/without-foreign-arms-sales-canadas-defence-industry-would-not-survive/article28100442/">David Perry</a>, a senior analyst and fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, argues that foreign arms’ sales …</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“ … allow Canadian firms to keep plants operating, workforces employed, supply chains intact and engineers busy researching and developing new technology. The Saudi deal will keep the thousands of unionized shop-floor workers and engineers at the GDLS-C plant in London, Ont., employed for years.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another area of co-operation that cannot be overlooked is educational exchange and its remarkable contribution to the Canadian economy. There are approximately <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/06/middleeast/saudi-arabia-canada-intl/index.html">7,000 Saudi students</a> on government scholarships studying in Canada. <a href="http://cbie.ca/media/facts-and-figures/">Statistics from the Canadian Bureau for International Education</a> reveal that students from Saudi Arabia made up two per cent of Canada’s 494,525 international students in 2017. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the fate of these thousands of students remains undetermined as <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-saudi-arabia-to-withdraw-all-saudi-students-studying-at-canadian/">the kingdom decided to withdraw them</a> and relocate them to other countries in retaliation of Canada’s criticism of its human rights record. This will have a negative impact on their academic standings and studies.</p>
<h2>Why the spat?</h2>
<p>Canada has made <a href="http://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/international_relations-relations_internationales/mena-moan/index.aspx?lang=eng">the promotion of human rights</a>, including women’s rights and the rights of religious minorities, a top priority of its foreign policy and diplomatic initiatives. </p>
<p>It’s therefore appropriate to demand Saudi Arabia release political prisoners and abide by human rights standards. As has been widely documented, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/saudi-arabia">the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia</a> is abysmal, and the kingdom has been accused of committing war crimes in Yemen. </p>
<p>But Ottawa has fallen into the trap of “double standards” when dealing with the issue of human rights. When human rights violations are linked to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, Canada turns a blind eye and refrains from condemning the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/israel-imprisonment-palestinian-children-decried-160803142431941.html">killings and imprisonments of Palestinian children and young people</a>, <a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171116-israel-legalises-confiscating-private-palestinian-land-for-settlement-use/">the confiscation of Palestinian lands and the establishment of illegal settlements</a>. </p>
<p>A consistent and fair approach would see Ottawa either condemning both Israel and Saudi Arabia, or turning a blind eye to both of them.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-thousand-lashes-for-raif-badawi-while-the-west-stays-silent-on-saudi-human-rights-36329">A thousand lashes for Raif Badawi, while the West stays silent on Saudi human rights</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The Saudi reaction</h2>
<p>The Saudi reaction to Canada’s criticism has been portrayed as “reckless, impulsive, and aggressive” by <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2018/08/saudi-arabia-angry-canada-180807175614918.html">Sultan Barakat</a>, director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute. Similarly, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hk51exZ850">Lloyd Axworthy</a>, a former Canadian foreign affairs minister, likens it to a Donald Trump-esque fit of pique marked by intimidation and saber-rattling. </p>
<p>Despite unanimous agreement among political commentators and analysts that the Saudi reaction is exaggerated, Saudi leadership could exploit this crisis to garner domestic support and to thwart all attempts to criticize the kingdom’s draconian crackdown on political dissidents.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231385/original/file-20180809-30458-6i7ni9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231385/original/file-20180809-30458-6i7ni9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231385/original/file-20180809-30458-6i7ni9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231385/original/file-20180809-30458-6i7ni9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231385/original/file-20180809-30458-6i7ni9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231385/original/file-20180809-30458-6i7ni9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231385/original/file-20180809-30458-6i7ni9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks at a news conference in Vancouver on Aug. 6. What was Freeland hoping to accomplish by publicly criticizing Saudi Arabia?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jimmy Jeong</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Foreign relations and foreign policy are often meant to advance national interests. So what did Canadian foreign policy makers want to achieve by going after Saudi Arabia publicly? </p>
<p>If the aim was to alleviate the circumstances of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/samar-badawi-arrested-1.4770268">Samar Badawi and her imprisoned brother, Raif,</a> to influence the broader direction of the Saudi leadership or to rally other like-minded countries to speak up against the human rights violations in the kingdom, then the results were disastrous.</p>
<p>Canadian foreign policy makers could have adopted a more professional approach to address the issues of human rights in the kingdom while maintaining strong strategic and economic ties. In other words, it’s about finding a way to calibrate what Thomas Juneau, professor at the University of Ottawa, <a href="https://www.cgai.ca/canada_and_saudi_arabia">calls the costs of tactical disagreements and the benefits of strategic alignment</a>. </p>
<p>Canada’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is actually advantageous on several fronts. There’s no doubt navigating the relationship was tricky at times, but the alternative will be seriously detrimental to Canada if Saudi Arabia intensifies its aggressive measures against us.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101248/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Houssem Ben Lazreg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The ongoing diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia will hurt Canada if the kingdom intensifies its aggressive retaliation measures.
Houssem Ben Lazreg, PhD Candidate in Modern Languages and Cultural Studies/ Associate Instructor, University of Alberta
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/100293
2018-07-19T21:23:42Z
2018-07-19T21:23:42Z
Trudeau’s cabinet shuffle patches holes before next election
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228503/original/file-20180719-142408-g0e58c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mary Ng is hugged by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after being sworn in as Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion during a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall on July 18, 2018. The cabinet shuffle sets the stage for the next federal election in the fall of 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-cabinet-shuffle-2018-1.4749976">recent cabinet shuffle</a> could be considered as minor, because he left many key ministers in place.</p>
<p><a href="http://cfreeland.liberal.ca/">Chrystia Freeland</a> remains in Foreign Affairs, <a href="http://bmorneau.liberal.ca/">Bill Morneau</a> in Finance and <a href="https://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister/honourable-jody-wilson-raybould">Jody Wilson-Raybould</a> in Justice, occupying what many regard as the most important portfolios for any federal government. </p>
<p>Perhaps the prime minister believes they’ve been successful to date, despite <a href="https://theconversation.com/consumers-to-pay-the-price-as-canada-punches-back-against-u-s-tariffs-97685">continuing trade skirmishes with the United States</a>, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/morneau-credits-simpler-small-business-tax-plan-to-crowdsourcing/article38157292/">tax proposals for small businesses</a> from which the government has largely retreated and outstanding issues <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/cannabis/cannabis-business/health-canada-warns-cannabis-companies-against-sponsoring-music-festivals-and-promoting-pot">regarding cannabis regulation</a> and <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/society/assisted-dying-was-supposed-to-be-an-option-to-some-patients-it-looks-like-the-only-one/">assisted dying</a>.</p>
<p>The only minister essentially <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/once-a-rising-star-melanie-joly-demoted-after-hurting-liberals-in-quebec">demoted is Melanie Joly</a>, probably because the Heritage portfolio’s issues (notably exemption from taxation for Netflix and weak efforts to encourage Canadian cultural production) seem to have overwhelmed her. </p>
<p>Many other changes seem largely inconsequential. And yet it’s not really a minor cabinet shuffle at all.</p>
<h2>Federal election on the horizon</h2>
<p>First, it’s probably the last cabinet shuffle before the 2019 election. It’s not impossible to imagine further changes before then, but it’s unlikely, because ministers are normally given a chance to settle in and show what they can do before the government goes again to the polls.</p>
<p>Second, with an election next year, Trudeau has taken the opportunity to change portfolios and ministers so as to highlight areas where he may face campaign challenges. If new faces in new roles can be successful, the Liberals will feel more confident entering the first campaign in which their record as a government will be the focus of attention.</p>
<p>What are the areas the prime minister has signalled needed shoring up? Where are the holes he is trying to plug?</p>
<p>First, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-still-aiming-for-intensive-nafta-talks-even-though-trumps-in/">as NAFTA renegotiations drag on</a> (or are stalled), there is enormous pressure to find ways to be less dependent on the U.S. market. It has long been an aim of Canadian governments to broaden the list of places to which we export, and to diversify the list of goods and services we make available.</p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the threats to NAFTA’s survival have significantly increased the urgency of those aims.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-nafta-canada-must-find-new-global-markets-98430">Beyond NAFTA: Canada must find new global markets</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The renaming of International Trade to Trade Diversification, <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/jim-carr-takes-over-as-canadas-new-trade-minister-488562721.html">with Jim Carr moving from Natural Resources to head the ministry</a>, is intended to respond to that urgency, as is the increased focus on export promotion in the Small Business portfolio now under <a href="https://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/8748798-markham-thornhill-mp-mary-ng-elevated-to-cabinet-in-trudeau-shuffle/">rookie MP Mary Ng.</a></p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228504/original/file-20180719-142408-zjo9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228504/original/file-20180719-142408-zjo9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228504/original/file-20180719-142408-zjo9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228504/original/file-20180719-142408-zjo9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228504/original/file-20180719-142408-zjo9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228504/original/file-20180719-142408-zjo9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228504/original/file-20180719-142408-zjo9on.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Melanie Joly, demoted to Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, speaks with Jim Carr, now Minister of International Trade Diversification, at Rideau Hall.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Second, in the first few years of Trudeau’s mandate, he had the benefit of several sympathetic provincial governments from whom he could hope to receive cooperation. There were Liberal governments in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. Even the NDP government of Alberta and the Conservative government of Manitoba could be expected to be helpful with some issues. </p>
<p>The traditional battles between Ottawa and the provinces over funding and taxation did not go away, but the hostility was muted.</p>
<p>Now, however, with the election of Doug Ford’s Conservatives in Ontario and John Horgan’s NDP government in B.C., disagreements over pipelines, climate change and refugee settlement are looming large.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ford-nation-rises-again-what-doug-ford-means-for-ontario-97985">Ford Nation rises again: What Doug Ford means for Ontario</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It’s possible that the formation of a united Conservative party in Alberta could lead to a change of government there in the next provincial election. And there have also been suggestions that the Quebec Liberals are not secure.</p>
<h2>Hostile provinces?</h2>
<p>The prime minister, therefore, could soon be facing unsympathetic governments in a majority of provinces. <a href="https://globalnews.ca/video/4338202/dominic-leblanc-changes-portfolios-named-minister-of-intergovernmental-northern-affairs-and-internal-trade">The appointment of Dominic Leblanc</a> — an experienced, tough-minded but persuasive MP — as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is intended to make federal-provincial relations more manageable in the new climate.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228505/original/file-20180719-142414-1i21jqv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228505/original/file-20180719-142414-1i21jqv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228505/original/file-20180719-142414-1i21jqv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228505/original/file-20180719-142414-1i21jqv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228505/original/file-20180719-142414-1i21jqv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228505/original/file-20180719-142414-1i21jqv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228505/original/file-20180719-142414-1i21jqv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=568&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dominic LeBlanc arrives at a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Third, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-withdraws-support-for-resettlement-of-asylum-seekers-who/">migrants entering Canada at irregular crossing points</a> has strained the resources of the Ministry of Immigration. Additionally, a spike in <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-s-police-board-wants-more-security-cameras-new-technology-to-help-curb-gun-crime-1.4019962">gang-related gun crime in Toronto</a> has raised public concerns.</p>
<p>The creation of a new portfolio called Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/justin-trudeaus-new-cabinet-bill-blairs-big-promotion/">under the direction of former Toronto police chief Bill Blair</a>, is intended to signal an understanding of voters’ concerns about border security and gang violence.</p>
<p>Fourth, as the government moves to ensure completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/graham-thomson-edmonton-mp-amarjeet-sohi-now-in-charge-of-getting-trans-mountain-pipeline-project-built">Trudeau has appointed Edmonton MP Amarjeet Sohi as Natural Resources Minister</a> and Vancouver MP <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/north-vancouver-mp-jonathan-wilkinson-named-federal-minister-of-fisheries-oceans-and-coast-guard">Jonathan Wilkinson as Fisheries Minister</a>. They can be expected to lead the fight to overcome opposition in B.C. to the pipeline’s completion.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228506/original/file-20180719-142426-5hqp64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228506/original/file-20180719-142426-5hqp64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228506/original/file-20180719-142426-5hqp64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228506/original/file-20180719-142426-5hqp64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228506/original/file-20180719-142426-5hqp64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=616&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228506/original/file-20180719-142426-5hqp64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=616&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228506/original/file-20180719-142426-5hqp64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=616&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Amarjeet Sohi stands with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Julie Payette after being sworn in as Minister of Natural Resources at Rideau Hall.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s probably fair to say that if trade is diversified without abandoning the American market, if border security is strengthened without abandoning a commitment to refugees, if federal-provincial relations lead to more federal wins than losses, and if the Trans Mountain pipeline is completed without a serious oil spill, the prime minister will feel his decisions were sound. </p>
<p>That’s assuming, however, that no fires break out in Foreign Affairs, Finance or Justice — never guaranteed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100293/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Drummond has received funding from SSHRC. He is currently a member of the NDP.</span></em></p>
With a federal election next year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shuffled his cabinet. What do the new faces in new jobs tell us about where the government feels it could be challenged?
Robert Drummond, University Professor Emeritus, Politics and Public Policy/Administration, York University, Canada
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/91559
2018-02-13T22:11:49Z
2018-02-13T22:11:49Z
Canada’s checkered history of arms sales to human rights violators
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205837/original/file-20180211-51703-hlh45x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The controversial $12-billion sale of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia has embroiled Justin Trudeau’s government in controversy. The vehicle in question is shown here at a news conference at a General Dynamics facility in London, Ont., in 2012. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Spowart</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Canadian government has been taking flak lately for its arms sales. </p>
<p>Helicopters <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/canada-helicopters-philippines-military-attack-1.4527456">destined for the Philippines</a> could be used for internal security in President Rodrigo Duterte’s harsh crackdowns, critics charge. </p>
<p>The $12-billion sale of light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia has also embroiled Justin Trudeau’s government in controversy.</p>
<p>In response, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland <a href="http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2018/02/09/canada-arms-export-rules-saudi-arms-deal-freeland/">has pledged to review both deals</a>, suggesting Canada is toughening up arms sales restrictions based on human rights grounds. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205841/original/file-20180211-51706-bj4mrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205841/original/file-20180211-51706-bj4mrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205841/original/file-20180211-51706-bj4mrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205841/original/file-20180211-51706-bj4mrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205841/original/file-20180211-51706-bj4mrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205841/original/file-20180211-51706-bj4mrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205841/original/file-20180211-51706-bj4mrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks to MPs on Parliament Hill in February 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But how did Canada get into the international arms trade, anyway? </p>
<p>A look at the history of how Canada started selling weapons overseas following the Second World War reveals that, contrary to Freeland’s implication, Canada actually used to be much more restrictive on arms sales than it is today.</p>
<p>Canada has not made human rights any more central to its arms export policy than it was in the 1940s — in fact, it’s reduced oversight and the consideration of human rights issues when it comes to selling arms. </p>
<p>“Canada’s export controls are among the most rigorous in the world,” <a href="http://www.international.gc.ca/controls-controles/report-rapports/mil-2016.aspx?lang=eng">the government states</a>. </p>
<p>It “strives to ensure that, among other policy goals, Canadian exports are not prejudicial to peace, security or stability in any region of the world or within any country.” In the post-Second World War period, Canada did not exactly “strive to ensure” these things — but it did say no when there was a risk of any of them happening.</p>
<h2>How Canada got into the arms trade</h2>
<p>Indeed, Canada entered the arms trade cautiously and carefully. After the Second World War, Ottawa was willing to pass surplus military equipment in Europe to allied governments. </p>
<p>But sales to less reliable countries, and those who might actually use the weapons, always required approval by the full cabinet. Prime Minister Mackenzie King <a href="http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/cabinet-conclusions/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=6285">noted</a> that “great care should be taken with respect to all sales of weapons and supplies of war to foreign governments.” </p>
<p>The first test came in 1946, when cabinet agreed to sell six million 30-calibre cartridges and four million magazines to the Dutch army just as it was about to embark on a <a href="https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/53wqxz/unreleased-indonesian-national-revolution-pics">colonial war in Indonesia</a>. But when the Dutch asked for 10,000 Sten machine guns for use in Indonesia, Canadian officials turned them down.</p>
<p>“We have no reason to believe that Canadian public opinion would support such a sale, nor would it be in the Canadian interest to make the sale,” according to one document from the day, now filed at <a href="http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx">Library and Archives Canada</a>. </p>
<p>Why? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205839/original/file-20180211-51713-70q4yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205839/original/file-20180211-51713-70q4yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205839/original/file-20180211-51713-70q4yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205839/original/file-20180211-51713-70q4yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205839/original/file-20180211-51713-70q4yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205839/original/file-20180211-51713-70q4yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205839/original/file-20180211-51713-70q4yd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Dutch soldier is seen here questioning Indonesian villagers in this undated photo taken some time between 1945 and 1950.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Creative Commons/Tropenmuseum)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The guns would probably be employed in the “‘pacification’ of the native population,” exposing the government to “severe domestic and international criticism for supplying these arms” and potentially “prejudic(ing) for a long time our commercial relations with the Indonesians.”</p>
<p>Any further talk of helping the Netherlands — a close Canadian ally — was blocked by the Department of External Affairs</p>
<h2>No to China</h2>
<p>Cabinet did get to decide on a proposal in 1946 to sell warships to China, then a pro-American regime desperately fighting off the advances of Mao Zedong’s Chinese communists.</p>
<p>The Canadian government certainly sympathized with the Chinese Republicans. And the sale of 10 or 11 surplus Canadian frigates would have netted Canada some $2 million — the equivalent of $27 million in today’s money. Yet cabinet <a href="http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/cabinet-conclusions/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=7069">blocked the sale</a> on the grounds that the ships “might be used in civil warfare.” </p>
<p>The same logic underpinned a Canadian decision to <a href="http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/cabinet-conclusions/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=8573">bar all military exports to Chinese Republicans</a> in 1947. </p>
<p>In both cases, the logic was clear: Canada should sell arms only to close allies, and if there was any likelihood of use against civilians, no sale should be made.</p>
<h2>Arming a dictatorship: Indonesia</h2>
<p>By the 1970s, however, Canada had thrown early caution to the winds, becoming a keen seeker of arms exports. A <a href="http://lactualite.com/societe/2017/02/05/marchandises-militaires-la-grande-hypocrisie-canadienne/">recent analysis</a> shows that Canada supplied $5.8 billion worth of arms over the past 25 years to countries classed as “dictatorships” by the human rights group Freedom House. </p>
<p>The example of arms sales to Indonesia curiously shows both a greater Canadian willingness to sell and the limits to that willingness.</p>
<p>Indonesia notoriously <a href="https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/school-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/timor-companion/invasion">invaded</a> the former Portuguese colony of East Timor in 1975, with more than <a href="https://www.ictj.org/news/10-years-cavr-report-timor-leste-truth">100,000</a> Timorese perishing under the subsequent military occupation. From 1975 to 1991, Canada nonetheless <a href="http://oceanpark.com/notes/books/genocide_in_paradise/genocide_13.htm">was willing to sell arms</a> to Indonesia. </p>
<p>Writing in the 1980s, Timorese leader <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17422094">José Ramos Horta</a> described Canadian “double standards” in <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=WsFVXrVEEekC&pg=PA143&lpg=PA143&dq=funu+canada&source=bl&ots=EnmNlYADLt&sig=zHs9BsZItC39WrWRRCrplqKEL-U&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHz8DYrJ_ZAhXwUN8KHSAjCGAQ6AEILzAC#v=onepage&q&f=false">scathing terms</a>: “These weapons play an important role in the war in East Timor. But how does the Canadian government explain the weapons exports to Indonesia if Canadian law states that export permits should be issued only for ‘non-conflict’ areas? Simply by asserting that there is no armed conflict in East Timor – knowing that to be a lie.”</p>
<p>Yet there were limits. </p>
<p>In 1991, a massacre in East Timor prompted Barbara McDougall, foreign minister in Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government, <a href="http://stopwapenhandel.org/sites/stopwapenhandel.org/files/imported/publicaties/boekenbrochures/Indonesia_0.pdf">to impose an arms embargo.</a></p>
<p>There was no suggestion that Canadian-made arms had been used in the massacre, but McDougall was taking no chances. </p>
<p>Arms sales to Indonesia resumed as <a href="https://prism.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/handle/1880/51199/From_Kinshasa_to_Kandahar_2016_chapter04.pdf?sequence=6">Jean Chrétien’s government embraced Indonesia</a>, but there was increasing dissent within the Department of Foreign Affairs about it.</p>
<p>“Any question of military sales to Indonesia, by definition, is a sensitive issue,” one divisional director wrote. After all, he noted acidly, “the Indonesian army is still killing people in East Timor.” </p>
<p>In September 1999, after extensive public pressure, foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy imposed an arms embargo as <a href="http://www.history.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/u184/robinson/robinson_east_timor_1999_english.pdf">pro-Indonesia militia groups</a> killed, forcibly relocated and terrorized the Timorese population. No evidence was required that Canadian-supplied weapons were being used against civilians. The government simply acted. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205840/original/file-20180211-51700-5cupcw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205840/original/file-20180211-51700-5cupcw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205840/original/file-20180211-51700-5cupcw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205840/original/file-20180211-51700-5cupcw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205840/original/file-20180211-51700-5cupcw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205840/original/file-20180211-51700-5cupcw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205840/original/file-20180211-51700-5cupcw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lloyd Axworthy, second from left, is seen here with othelink text r foreign ministers at an emergency ministerial meeting on the East Timor crisis in Auckland, N.Z., in 1999.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Greg Baker)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Bending away from justice</h2>
<p>Some 80 years ago, British historian Herbert Butterfield <a href="http://www.eliohs.unifi.it/testi/900/butterfield/preface.html">criticized those who rewrite the past</a> in order “to produce a story which is the ratification if not the glorification of the present.”</p>
<p>This <a href="https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/prospective-undergrads/virtual-classroom/secondary-source-exercises/sources-whig">“Whiggish” view of history</a> insists that things get better over time, in a progressive arc leading to general improvement. </p>
<p>It’s this sense that Chrystia Freeland invokes when she <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-arms/canada-says-will-clamp-down-on-arms-exports-amid-rights-concerns-idUSKBN1FS3E7">promises</a> to ban the sale of a weapon “if there were a substantial risk that it could be used to commit human rights violations” — and describes that as progress. </p>
<p>In actual fact, if previous debates on arms sales are anything to go by, Canada is less vigilant on human rights than it was in 1946, or even in 1999. It has some way to go before it approaches the standards that once prevailed. </p>
<p>The arc of Canadian arms sales is long, but it seems to bend away from, not towards, human rights.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91559/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Webster receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council and Canada Foundation for Innovation.</span></em></p>
Canada used to be more careful about selling arms to countries that practised human rights violations. What happened?
David Webster, Associate Professor of History, Bishop's University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/91129
2018-02-05T23:28:09Z
2018-02-05T23:28:09Z
What if Trump kills NAFTA? Remedies for Canada and Mexico
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204659/original/file-20180202-19956-1rd3hsl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1149%2C0%2C1037%2C1917&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, right, and Mexico's Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarrea, deliver statements to the media during the sixth round of negotiations for a new North American Free Trade Agreement in Montreal in January 2018. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>NAFTA has come under a series of threats since Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States. </p>
<p>According to his tweets and public comments, the president believes strongly that NAFTA is a disastrous trade deal for the U.S.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"901804388649500672"}"></div></p>
<p>But Trump has different issues with NAFTA when it comes to Canada and Mexico. And there are ways for both countries to fight back, regardless of NAFTA’s ultimate fate.</p>
<h2>Canada</h2>
<p>In Canada, most businesses are worried about any potential collapse of NAFTA.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2018/01/28/nafta-2-0-slow-progress-progress/">slow progress</a> in the NAFTA talks has created grave uncertainty and this could have a detrimental effect on decision-making. It seems Canada is more concerned about the stability of NAFTA than the U.S. </p>
<p>This isn’t surprising because the Americans have diversified their exports much more than Canada has — <a href="http://www.international.gc.ca/economist-economiste/performance/state-point/state_2017_point/index.aspx?lang=eng">the U.S. accounts for more than 75 per cent of Canadian exports. </a></p>
<p>However, the exit clause under NAFTA requires <a href="http://www.sice.oas.org/trade/nafta/chap-22.asp">six month’s notice</a> before any member country can withdraw. That should be enough time for any business to devise alternative strategies or find new places to sell their goods as well as new importers, and to therefore minimize any potential economic damage from the eventual collapse of NAFTA.</p>
<p>With or without NAFTA, Canada can still remain competitive in the North American market, especially as Canada remains a natural trading partner for the United States. </p>
<p>Canadians share a common border, a common language, similar cultural and social values and almost identical consumer tastes and preferences with Americans. That should help reduce the costs of doing trade between the U.S. and Canada even in the absence of a trade agreement. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204726/original/file-20180204-19952-1m03ec8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204726/original/file-20180204-19952-1m03ec8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204726/original/file-20180204-19952-1m03ec8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204726/original/file-20180204-19952-1m03ec8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204726/original/file-20180204-19952-1m03ec8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204726/original/file-20180204-19952-1m03ec8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204726/original/file-20180204-19952-1m03ec8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, holds up a pair of socks that he received as a gift from American talk show hosts Kelly Ripa, centre, and Ryan Seacrest during his appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan in Niagara Falls, Ont. in June 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Lynett</span></span>
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<p>Without NAFTA, Canada may have to resort to most-favoured nation (MFN) tariffs, which is what the U.S. has imposed on WTO member countries. Facing MFN tariffs of about 3.5 per cent on average will not significantly lower the competitiveness of Canadian exporters in the U.S.</p>
<p>There are many other possible remedies Canada can embark upon as a country to minimize uncertainty about NAFTA. One main tool will be diversifying its export market to significantly reduce Canada’s dependence on just a few export markets or destinations. </p>
<p>Already, the government is diversifying by signing two major trade agreements: The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with Pacific Rim countries.</p>
<p>Incidentally, Canada’s embrace of TPP may have contributed to a <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/27/business/economy-business/trump-woos-davos-tpp-trade-deal-shift-says-u-s-open-business/#.Wnc8jqinHIU">change in Trump’s rhetoric</a> about TPP being a bad deal. It doesn’t seem a mere coincidence that just as Canada signed the pact, the U.S. president was in Davos suggesting the U.S. was ready to negotiate bilaterally or regionally with any TPP countries.</p>
<p>The Canadian government must also focus on how to improve the economic environment to make firms and businesses operating in Canada competitive. </p>
<p>There are lots of WTO-consistent ways and means that Canada can do this, especially by supporting research and development that promote innovations and competitiveness for Canadian businesses, and backing technological innovations and making them accessible to many businesses at minimal costs.</p>
<p>Technological advancement is more beneficial when there is direct collaboration between universities and businesses, and so businesses should be encouraged to fund and support research. </p>
<p>That type of direct collaboration may lead to development of technologies that will be tailored to Canadian businesses and make them more competitive in the world market.</p>
<p>Governments must therefore incentivize businesses that fund research by giving them tax rebates.</p>
<p>New and innovative technologies can also be driven by skilled workers. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204727/original/file-20180204-19956-nzyo5u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204727/original/file-20180204-19956-nzyo5u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204727/original/file-20180204-19956-nzyo5u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204727/original/file-20180204-19956-nzyo5u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204727/original/file-20180204-19956-nzyo5u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204727/original/file-20180204-19956-nzyo5u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204727/original/file-20180204-19956-nzyo5u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A protest against Trump’s immigration policies in Los Angeles in September 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)</span></span>
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<p>Canada can take real advantage right now of the Trump administration’s <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/05/us-devastating-impact-trumps-immigration-policy">anti-immigration policies</a> and attract more skilled labour from the rest of the world. </p>
<p>Skilled immigrants have contributed enormously to many nations, including the U.S., so the Canadian government must intensify its efforts to attract new skilled workers by reducing the standards, time and costs for skilled immigrants who want to come to Canada.</p>
<h2>Time to revisit ‘supply-management’</h2>
<p>Revisiting supply-management policy may also have direct implication for agricultural sector competitiveness in Canada. The policy, which dates back to the 1970s, involves Canada using fixed prices, production quotas and so-called tariff-rate quotas to protect its dairy, egg and poultry sectors. </p>
<p>The U.S. is demanding the phasing-out of supply management over a period of 10 years. And, in fact, supply management may not be helping Canadian farmers to be competitive. </p>
<p>There exists a huge domestic market in the agri-food sector, and supply management is considered by some <a href="https://biv.com/article/2017/10/naftas-demise-would-force-canadas-agri-food-sector">to be a major constraint.</a> Looking, for example, at the dairy sector in the figure below, Canada has consistently experienced increasing trade deficits. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204732/original/file-20180204-19925-ty5940.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204732/original/file-20180204-19925-ty5940.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204732/original/file-20180204-19925-ty5940.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204732/original/file-20180204-19925-ty5940.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204732/original/file-20180204-19925-ty5940.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204732/original/file-20180204-19925-ty5940.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204732/original/file-20180204-19925-ty5940.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.</span>
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<p>With increasing trade deficits, this means that Canada is still import-dependent; it imports more than it exports. Increasing imports indicate that there is a huge domestic market for dairy.</p>
<p>Farmers could have easily improved their domestic competitiveness through economies of scale. The increasing dairy imports also suggest that even after paying out tariff-rate quotas, foreign farmers are still competitive in the Canadian market.</p>
<p>Phasing out supply management, therefore, may improve the competitiveness of Canadian farmers and give Canadian consumers competitive prices for dairy/poultry products. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.macleans.ca/opinion/why-is-canada-jeopardizing-nafta-to-protect-13500-farmers/">Many experts are asking</a> why the government is willing to continuously sacrifice the gain of millions of Canadian consumers for the gain of a few farmers.</p>
<p>What’s more, there are contingency measures within the WTO that Canada can use to protect certain sectors if import surges threaten or pose serious risks to the Canadian economy.</p>
<h2>Mexico</h2>
<p>Trump’s problem with Mexico seems to stem from the fact that he finds it unthinkable that the U.S. should have a trade deficit with the Mexicans at all. He also takes issue with migrants crossing the border to illegally reside in the U.S. </p>
<p>That has resulted in his infamous protectionist proposals of imposing tariff barriers in the form of a border adjustment tax of about 20 per cent on Mexican imports, and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/26/politics/donald-trump-mexico-import-tax-border-wall/index.html">his plan to build a wall</a> on the U.S.-Mexico border.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204736/original/file-20180204-19944-1cwohd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204736/original/file-20180204-19944-1cwohd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204736/original/file-20180204-19944-1cwohd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204736/original/file-20180204-19944-1cwohd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204736/original/file-20180204-19944-1cwohd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204736/original/file-20180204-19944-1cwohd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204736/original/file-20180204-19944-1cwohd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A U.S. border patrol agent walks along a portion of the border wall in San Diego, Calif., in 2016.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Given the U.S. and Mexico are members of both the World Trade Organization and NAFTA, the implementation of Trump’s Mexican border tariff will contravene WTO principles that stipulate non-discrimination between WTO member countries. Practically speaking, it won’t be feasible for the U.S. to apply the tariff. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, the U.S. can also take advantage of WTO contingency measures, and employ a measure that guards against surges in Mexican exports. But the Americans would have to apply it in a non-discriminatory manner to all their trading partners.</p>
<p>In addition, the U.S. would have to demonstrate a causal link between the increase in imports and serious harm to domestic industry in order to justify the application of the safeguards. The Americans would also be expected to offer compensation to exporters of all countries that would be affected by any use of such safeguards.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204662/original/file-20180202-19944-1kapzek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204662/original/file-20180202-19944-1kapzek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204662/original/file-20180202-19944-1kapzek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204662/original/file-20180202-19944-1kapzek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204662/original/file-20180202-19944-1kapzek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204662/original/file-20180202-19944-1kapzek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204662/original/file-20180202-19944-1kapzek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=589&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mexico’s chief negotiator Kenneth Smith Ramos speaks to the media at the sixth round of the North American Free Trade Agreement in January in Montreal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The United States has the flexibility to increase its tariffs on a non-discriminatory basis, provided the new tariffs are not above the so-called “bound rate” of approximately 3.5 per cent (the individual commitment made by all WTO members not to raise the tariff above a specified level). </p>
<p>However, the proposed border tariff of 20 per cent is far above that. And so if the U.S. insists upon imposing the border tax on Mexico, it will result in Mexico filing a complaint with the <a href="https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/dispu_e.htm">dispute settlement body</a> of the WTO.</p>
<p>If it is determined that the U.S. is off side, Mexico can then ask for permission to retaliate.</p>
<p>Obviously, with a higher tariff, U.S. companies (especially those producing import substitutes or similar goods to Mexico) could especially benefit in terms of higher market share and higher prices for those goods. However, this could also potentially boost the costs of production for U.S. companies that use goods and raw materials from Mexico to make their products. </p>
<p>One argument in favour of the border tariff is that it would allow the U.S. government to raise revenues to fund projects, especially the border wall.</p>
<p>Ultimately, though, American consumers would also suffer a loss: They’d be forced to pay higher prices for goods imported or produced domestically with Mexican content.</p>
<p>Apart from these costs and gains, there would be additional costs to U.S. exporters if WTO-sanctioned trade retaliations are applied following complaints from Mexico.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91129/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Donald Trump has described NAFTA as the worst trade deal ever signed by the United States. As NAFTA talks continue, here’s what Canada and Mexico can do if the unthinkable happens.
Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor, Assistant Professor, Agri-Food Trade and Policy, University of Guelph
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.