Anand states that Canadas diplomatic approach is compatible with its values

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, refutes allegations that her government privileges trade over humanitarian aid and human rights.

The federal government, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has reduced foreign aid, signed economic agreements with autocratic regimes, and avoided openly criticizing American actions against multilateral institutions.

Ms. Anand asserted on Thursday at the Ottawa Civic Space Summit that Canada’s values are deeply integrated into its economic and military interests.

“I want to gently challenge the idea that civic space is somehow separate from our goals in terms of economic growth, defense, and security,” stated Mr. Anand.

“For a country to be strong, for institutions to thrive, citizens themselves must feel secure and protected, and they must have the necessary economic means to survive.”

Ms. Anand explained that Canada’s desire to restore maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in the context of the war threatened by the United States and Israel against Iran, aims to both reduce costs incurred by Canadians and ensure that the poorest countries can access the fertilizers they need to feed their populations.

“The global supply chains for essential survival mechanisms are also completely cut,” she pointed out. “It’s not just that fertilizers cannot move. It’s that the food supply chain, the nutritional supply chain, are threatened.”

The conference focuses on the work of human rights defenders globally and how Canadian organizations can support them, as well as Indigenous peoples in Canada, facing the rise of autocracy worldwide.

It is sponsored by Resilient Societies and Cooperation Canada, representing dozens of Canadian nonprofit organizations active in international aid.

This conference takes place as human rights activists and former liberal ministers, such as Lloyd Axworthy, criticize the Carney government for signing economic agreements with Beijing and Gulf countries, as well as avoiding directly criticizing their human rights records.

They noted that allied countries, such as France, have been more vocal in their opposition to measures taken by Washington against multilateralism and international law — such as sanctioning judges of the International Criminal Court, establishing an oil blockade to Cuba, and removing the Venezuelan president.

The conference also heard on Thursday from a Global Affairs Canada official responsible for overseeing the ministry’s new Economic Growth Division.

Sacha Levasseur explained that this reorientation was the result of changes made by the former Canadian International Development Agency before its merger with Global Affairs Canada.

After the 2008 economic crisis, the organization shifted its priorities from environmental sustainability to promoting increased private investment and employment in developing countries.

Then, the Trudeau government reoriented its priorities again, this time towards inclusive economic growth and feminist foreign policy.

“We were recently asked to rethink our approach to economic growth as part of our international aid,” Mr. Levasseur stated.

“Given the way things stand, we have somewhat returned to 2010, where we addressed this more from the private sector angle, and in the way we talk — financial jargon and risk reduction.”

Risk reduction refers to the support provided by Global Affairs Canada to projects in which businesses and philanthropists are more inclined to invest, reducing the need for federal spending.

Opponents of this approach argue that the private sector can contribute to projects that improve the standard of living in developing countries, but it cannot provide essential services, such as water and education, to the world’s poorest.

Paulina Ibarra heads the Multitudes Foundation in Chile, advocating for transparency and accountability. She argued that Canadian funding for civil society stimulates economic growth by reducing corruption and ending policies that prevent women and minorities from succeeding economically.

“The feminist international aid policy of Canada and the democratic resilience and human rights program are not, in our opinion, simple aid programs. They are, I would say, Canada’s greatest asset in terms of economic security,” she declared at the conference.

“They allow us to develop a technical capacity to respond. By protecting women, environmental defenders, and human rights actors who play a monitoring role, Canada is protecting the integrity of an entire sector.”

Further into her address, Ms. Anand stated that Canadian diplomacy is not conducted through social networks.

“To be effective diplomats, we should not use social networks as the primary tool of diplomacy. Diplomacy is nuanced. Diplomacy is complex,” she argued. “We must adopt a strategic approach to convey the necessary messages.”

Ms. Anand did not refer to a tweet published in 2018 by Global Affairs Canada calling for the release of women’s rights activists, which sparked a years-long diplomatic dispute with Saudi Arabia.