Many Canadian’s pine for the halcyon days of Lester Pearson and the diplomatic heavy hitting of the 1950’s and 60’s.  These were in many people’s minds the glory days for Canada in the world, when we stood for and led the world as advocates for multi-nationalism,  peace-keeping and third world development.  Alas, the 1970’s were largely a disappointment as Canada shifted its emphasis to trade rather than diplomacy under the cool rationalism of Trudeau, who accepted that Canada was destined to be an also ran in a world where size and power determined a country’s place in the world councils.  We had to look after ourselves and trade was what mattered.

Mulroney largely followed, but unlike Trudeau, concentrated almost solely on the United States and its large market for trade goods.  The rest of the world was almost irrelevant.  However Mulroney does deserve recognition for what might be called a turn toward opportunistic initiatives that permit Canada selectively to step forward and rise above its place as a small player on world issues.  This was most notably done by assuming a leadership role in opposing South African apartheid, to Canada’s honour and continuing credit.  He stood apart from both Reagan and Margaret Thatcher on this issue long before they saw how the wind was blowing and gave a tremendous boost to international efforts to end the inglorious rule of white supremacists.  Canada stood tall at the time as a principled and forward looking nation, in keeping with its earlier reputation, although action was pretty much limited to this one important issue.

The 1990’s saw Canada shift to a much greater emphasis on multi-nationalism, with a focus largely on economic matters, with some considerable success.  A major accomplishment was the increased emphasis on and increasing respect for Canada at the summit of industrialized countries, the G8.  The key industrialized nations more and more came to terms with the fact that with globalization, they needed to work together to set the agenda and oversee strategic directions and crisis interventions.  It was by no means clear that Canada should or would have any significant role in this august body, which was to be kept small and manageable. To Canada’s credit, Chretien and his foreign policy advisors recognized the potential importance of international cooperation and opportunistically saw this forum as a place where Canada could rise above its small state status and, as Canadian diplomats love to say, “punch above its weight class”.  And they succeeded to some considerable degree.  But while the G8 is still a prestigious forum, as can be seen by the splash being made about its meeting in Canada next year, as the present decade progressed more and more questions have been raised about its relevance given the absence of a number of world economic heavy hitters, including China, India, Korea and Australasia.

In many respects the last five years of this decade have seen Canada shift its international focus to Afghanistan and fighting al Queda.  I have argued elsewhere that his was the right thing to do, but that it has been executed in completely the wrong way.  Canada has earned its stripes it is true but largely through fruitless fire-fights and wild west pursuits of Taliban insurgents, which have done little if anything to put Afghanistan back on its feet and to keep the loyalty of the Afghan people.  My arguments are not simply a matter of convenient hind sight – I have been making them right from the time that Canada first committed forces to Kandahar. * Now it appears that the Afghanistan effort is pretty much lost and Canada will have gained little from this brief opportunistic attempt to be a tall poppy in the world community.  It could have been otherwise but Canadian diplomats and politicians failed by not having the courage to separate themselves from the failing American strategy.  Canada was in a perfect position to take the lead in developing a new strategy that could have saved the day in Afghanistan, but unfortunately did not have the diplomatic talent and courage needed.  It is rather sad to see Chris Alexander, a key actor in this failure, attempting to become a political celebrity back in Canada today.

With the G8 becoming obsolete and Afghanistan looking hopeless, we see the Prime Minister turning his attention to the possibilities for the larger G20 Leaders Summit.  This shifts the focus of Canada back onto economics.  It is clear to all that the G8 has to expand or be restructured to include the emerging economic powers not now in the G8.  A continuing worry has been whether Canada can retain a seat at the table in any new elite forum of world leaders. If a modified G8 or some new slightly expanded G10 were created there would really be no place for Canada, given the need to include the new economic powers. Until 2008, the G20 was a Finance Ministers forum.  The first Leaders Summit was held that year, with follow up meetings in London in April 2009 and in Pittsburgh in September 2009. Obama will signal at the Pittsburgh meeting that the G20 Leaders Summit will replace the G8 for all intents and purposes.   That could be a big disappointment for Canada, given all the hype about Canada hosting it in 2010.  But if the G20 takes hold as the pre-eminent world leaders forum and Canada is a leading part of it on a continuing basis, that would under the circumstances be a win for Canada.

Harper has been doing a good job of keeping Canada in the game.  He has the good luck of being the host of the 2010 G8 meetings based on the established rotation.  He is using that soap box to promote the G20, with Canada as a full member and a key leader in its further development.  He has also used his position as G8 chair to work to set up and announce a G20 Leaders Summit in Canada in 2010, with Canada co-chairing with South Korea.  Clearly Harper has successfully worked to establish himself as a key leader in the transition.  He is quite obviously opportunistically using his position as this year’s chair of the G8 to give it a respectful burial and to push the transition to the G20 under Canada’s leadership.  With the disastrous international fall out of the recession, it is likely that the real international power and muscle for the next while will be directed at economic issues and problems.  One key forum will assume the central place in international efforts, and the G20 looks to be the best bet.  Harper is not letting the opportunity pass him by.  And he appears to be succeeding with full honours.  Perhaps even voters will notice.

*  Doug McArthur, “Don’t leave Afghanistan in American hands.” Inroads 20 Winter/Spring 2007: 42-52.   (http://www.inroadsjournal.ca/archives/inroads_20/Inroads_20_afghanistan_nepal.pdf p. 42).  Simon Fraser University Professor McArthur puts the common criticism of insufficient efforts in governance and development into a Canadian context.  He suggests Canada’s relatively large contribution in Afghanistan puts it in a position of leadership.  Canadian efforts to reform development assistance and governance structures could lead others, particularly the US, to follow. (http://pom.peacebuild.ca/Afghanistanopinions.shtml accessed September 25, 2009)