PM the PM gave a speech today at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. This probably isn't news to you since pretty much every Canadian media outlet is reporting on it. Most of the reporting is on the spending announcements that aren't news because they're repeats of old announcements, and on the decision to deploy 600 Canadian troops and 200 air force personnel to Afghanistan until summer 2005 after the current 1,700 Canadians who are there come home in August.
I went looking for the actual text of the speech on the Government of Canada website because I spotted something in the CTV article that I wanted clarification on.
Canada?s role in Afghanistan has all the hallmarks of the new type of operation the Canadian Forces will be expected to lead: it?s a multilateral mission authorized by the United Nations and led by NATO; undertaken at the invitation of the Afghan government, and aimed at reviving a failing state, for humanitarian reasons and at the same time ensuring that it cannot be used as a base of operations for terrorists.Elements of defence, diplomacy and development are woven tightly together as part of the mission. The Canadian Forces, for example, provide the security that, in turn, allows organizations like Canada?s International Development Agency to support Afghanistan?s election process and democratic development.
This ?3-D? approach ? the integration of diplomacy, defence and development ? will serve as the model for Canada?s involvement in international crises in the future ? crises that will take many forms. For instance, multilateralism is clearly our preferred approach to resolving international crises. But the absence of international consensus must never condemn us to inaction.
Far too often in recent times, countries that could have stepped forward as leaders in times of crisis failed to do so. Far too often they?ve felt that it was not their responsibility and have looked to others to do the job. And far too often we have seen the tragic consequences that result from the failure of the international community to act on the principles that form the very basis of the United Nations Charter.
As Lt. General Romeo Dallaire has taught us, all countries have a responsibility to ensure that the genocide is never again repeated. We must take this responsibility to heart.
Canada must be a strong advocate for intervention to protect the security of nations and those who live within their borders. We must continue to seek ways to strengthen our multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations. And, most importantly, we must be leaders in global responses to crises.
Emphasis added. Now what do you suppose he's on about here? I certainly agree that Rwanda was a horrific tragedy and the international community should have moved more quickly. But Martin seems to be trying to have his cake and eat it too. On the one hand he talks about seeking multilateral support and strengthening the UN, while on the other he seems to be suggesting that Canada will, in the future, act on a unilateral basis. Not only are we to "punch above our weight", it seems we're to become the global white hat riding to the rescue while everybody else sits on their hands.
These remarks are being delivered with the crisis in Iraq serving as a backdrop. In that case we saw one nation, the United States, decide that the "international community" wasn't acting quickly enough or aggressively enough. So the White House put together its own "Coalition of the Willing" and acted outside the UN. In the process I think it's fair to say that the ability of the UN, NATO and the international community to act in everyone's best interests was damaged, not strengthened. And damaged badly if you ask me. A year later that coalition is falling apart while Iraq spirals more and more out of control. And now the UN is being asked to take on more responsibility in a situation it didn't ask for or create and really can't control.
I don't think Martin can have it both ways here, although trying to have things both ways seems to be a trade mark of his administration thus far. If Rwanda is the example he wants to draw attention to, then do so in a context of determining how existing multilateral institutions could have handled things better. But talking simultaneously about acting outside the auspices of the UN defeats the purpose and weakens the very institution that Martin claims to want to strengthen.
Of course maybe portions of this address are intended for an audience south of here. If this is Martin's way of telling the Bush administration that Canada will be available for the next posse that forms to go off in search of "the evil doers", then the PM has some 'splainin' to do. International consensus on the justification for intervening, and the right way to go about it, is exactly what's needed. Otherwise future missions have the potential to do exactly what the invasion of Iraq has done - make matters worse.
