With the electoral victory of Conservative leader Stephen Harper in 2006, Canadian foreign policy makers have again rediscovered Latin America. In various speeches and announcements, Stephen Harper has signaled a renewed interest in the region. In July 2007, during a tour of the Americas, Harper stated that a re-engagement with the Americas would be a top priority of his administration. The focus of the new strategy was to be promotion of economic ties (especially through new free trade agreements), and support for democracy and security in the region.
The most recent sign of Canada’s tilt toward the Americas is the invitation of three leaders from the Americas – René Préval of Haiti, Bruce Golding of Jamaica and outgoing Colombian president Álvaro Uribe – to join an “outreach” session at the G8 meeting in June. Traditionally these sessions involve leaders from African countries, and focus on development efforts among the poorest nations on that continent. Leaders from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa were also invited, but the invitation of the three heads of state from the Americas signals the Harper government’s shift in strategy. Préval, Golding and Uribe, all friends of Harper and ideologically compatible, were invited to talk about how the rich countries can help poorer nations deal with security threats like terrorism and organized crimes - not items at the top of the priorities of most developing countries.
This invitation reflects some of the broader problems with Canada’s Americas strategy. Again, Canada is focusing on a favoured few allies, and shifting the emphasis away from poverty alleviation and Africa, toward Harper’s own priorities – in this case, security. At the same time, Parliament’s recent approval of the free trade deal with Colombia, despite strong objections from Canadian NGOs and human rights organizations, represents Harper’s other main priority in the Americas – free trade. In sum, Canada’s recent engagement with the Americas does not adequately respond to the profound changes that have occurred in the Latin American region over the last ten years. In particular, the heavy focus on the signing of NAFTA-style bilateral or regional free trade and investment agreements with friendly regimes like Colombia shows that the Canadian government remains tied to a neoliberal development model in an era of increased questioning of policies throughout many countries of the Americas.
From Withdrawal to Re-engagement: Canada’s Rediscovery of the Americas
Canada has been on a seemingly never-ending rollercoaster ride in its relations with the hemisphere. Periods of strong engagement have generally been followed by periods of withdrawal from hemispheric activities. The most recent wave of engagement began in the 1990s, after Canada became a permanent member of the OAS. In the OAS, Canada worked to promote greater attention to democracy in the hemisphere through the establishment of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy. Canada also played a leading role in the failed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) initiative. Canada’s and the United States’ unwillingness to accommodate the demands of post-neoliberal regimes in Brazil, Argentina was an important reason for the eventual foundering of the FTAA negotiations.
However, by the late 1990s the enthusiasm that was driving Canada’s re-engagement had largely waned. There are multiple reasons for this shift: growing global concerns with poverty in Africa, ultimately translating into a stronger focus on Africa within the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); enhanced security concerns and Canada’s involvement in the US-led ‘War on Terror’; and a serious misalignment between Canadian priorities for the region, such as the FTAA, and the widespread rejection of free market economics among countries of the region.
What, then, explains the Harper government’s new-found enthusiasm for the Americas? Not surprisingly, many commentators attribute Canada’s much-celebrated re-engagement to growing business interests in the region. Canada’s business investments in the Americas are three times higher than investments in Asia, having reached almost CAN$ 100 billion in FDI stocks (assets owned by Canadian multinationals) in 2006. Moreover, trade with Latin America has recently been growing faster than with any other part of the world, with total exports more than doubling from CAN$ 4.17 billion in 2004 to CAN$ 8.68 billion in 2008. The role of business interests as a key driving force behind the foreign policy turn has also been singled out in a volley of speeches and articles by senior policy makers. In a 2007 speech to the House of Commons former foreign minister Maxime Bernier noted that the ultimate goal of the new Americas strategy was to “promote enhanced market access and a level playing field for Canadian businesses” and to “ensure that Canadian business has continued access to this growing market”.
Elements of the “Americas Strategy”
At a practical level, the most obvious aspect of the Canadian government’s Americas strategy to date is the vigorous promotion of bilateral free trade agreements, a move that follows the U.S. example. This emphasis on engaging countries bilaterally represents a significant break from the traditional Canadian foreign policy in the hemisphere which, since Canada joined the OAS demonstrated a strong support for multilateral fora. In contrast, the Harper administration has mainly resorted to bilateral channels to promote neoliberal reforms and, in particular, avoid the stalling of trade and investment liberalization in the wake of the demise of the FTAA. This is part of what DFAIT calls its “aggressive trade negotiation agenda,” aimed at opening the region to Canadian investors and goods (particularly Canadian mining companies) and is in line with Canada’s broader foreign policy objective of deepening Canadian engagement in the Americas, while advancing Canada’s national interests.
In addition to its trade diplomacy, the new strategy also involves an important shift in Canadian aid policy away from a focus on some of the world’s poorest states which are mostly located in Africa. In February 2009, CIDA minister Bev Oda announced the government’s intention to focus on fewer countries than in the past, and to re-concentrate its cooperation efforts on countries in the Americas. The countries selected as focus countries are Bolivia, the Caribbean region, Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, and Peru. Canada has signed trade agreements with Colombia and Peru, neither of which were previously focus countries, while most of the countries that were eliminated from the list are desperately poor countries in Africa.
Overall, the Americas Strategy is dominated by an emphasis on free trade, Canadian corporate interests, and security. The rise of post-neoliberal governments in the region represents a unique opportunity to avoid some of the contradictions currently present in Canadian foreign policy, especially the simultaneous promotion of human rights and free markets. Many of these governments are clearly committed to ideals dear to many Canadians, like multilateralism, reform of institutions of global governance, and poverty alleviation. By working with these governments, Canada could carve out a clearly independent policy in the region that reflects the values and priorities of the Canadian population and the majority of Latin Americans.
What Canada should do in the Americas:
- Repair the relationship with Mexico, badly damaged by the Harper government’s decision to impose a visa on visiting Mexicans;
- As in Africa, poverty reduction should be the focus of aid spending. But the Americas should not be the priority in Canada’s aid policy given higher levels of development and lower poverty levels in the region;
- Look for like-minded allies for Canada’s traditional support for multilateralism and peacebuilding - Brazil is an obvious candidate;
- Consult widely with Canadian and Latin American civil society about future priorities.
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Colombia, a focus for increased
Canadian trade and – coincidentally, no doubt, a new Canadian aid
recipient – struggles with drugs, violence and a North American idea
that trade will solve all problems.
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