Archive - Global Citizenship Program
Context for Global Citizenship Program
Historically, Canada has played a pivotal role on the world stage promoting peace, development and human rights and gaining a reputation as a compassionate member of the international community. It was after all, a Canadian, former Prime Minister Lester Pearson, who is credited with developing the concept of peace keeping and establishing the 0.7% target for national expenditures on foreign aid. Earlier, another Canadian, a scholar, jurist and human rights advocate, John Peterson Humphrey, was tasked by the UN to draft the Universal Charter of Human Rights.
In the last few years, Canada and Canadians have led a number of critical international policy initiatives leading to concrete measures such as the Ottawa Treaty to Ban Landmines, the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine, the establishment of the International Criminal Court and The Kimberley process. Despite these efforts and achievements, a growing number of people are concerned that Canada has not been pulling its weight in the exercise of our international responsibilities. Once a top-10 contributor to UN peacekeeping efforts, by June 2008, the United Nation’s ranking of its members’ contributions showed that Canada had fallen to 53rd place (out of 119 countries). According to the Canadian Council for International Cooperation calculation, Canadian foreign aid in 2006/2007 will be 0.33% of our Gross National Income - less than half of the UN target of 0.7%.
While our overall influence at the international level may have been waning, Canada is still in a unique and privileged position to contribute to peace-building, development, aid and security. After all, Canada is a member of the G8 and one of the most developed and resource-rich countries in the world. We also have a tradition of engaging in the world in a pro-active, constructive and solution-oriented way, a tradition that is being built upon by a younger generation of Canadians. We can draw our strength and vision from the rich diversity of Canada's cosmopolitan population with knowledge, networks and, ties with many countries and regions in the globe. More than ever, Canada is well situated to act as a global player if it chooses to recognize and leverage this unique position.
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photos by Greg Atkinson
The Opportunities
Any failures on the part of the government to exercise its international obligations should not obscure the fact that many individual Canadians play an active and important role in global affairs. This reality was also noted in a report prepared for the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA) by Robert Greenhill entitled The External Voices Project with a number of the respondents commenting positively on the fact that Canada has produced a number of "effective internationalists" like Stephen Lewis, Louise Arbour and Maurice Strong to name but a few.
Global engagement and commitment is not limited to high profile and well-known Canadians, however. In fact, as aptly put in a recent study by Canada25 entitled: From Middle to Model Power: Recharging Canada's Role in the World, “Canadians now travel, study, work, marry, and live abroad more than ever before. We also invest overseas, engage in commerce across the globe, create independent aid and assistance organizations, adhere to foreign regulatory agencies, and maintain social, academic, professional, and cultural links with people around the world. Individual Canadians, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and companies now hold rank with our federal government as principal actors in foreign issues.”
The evidence was also highlighted in a report prepared for the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) entitled Hubris, Humility and Human Resources: Notes on the Proposed Canada Corps. Ian Smillie, author of the report, discovered that, at any one point in time, at least 12,000 Canadians are serving in the developing world on short or long term assignments. Smillie noted, as well, that many of those 12,000 serving around the world are young Canadians.
In the Canada 25 report, the authors identify three key characteristics and competencies of a new generation of Canadians (as represented by their membership) that positively affect their interactions with the world beyond our borders: “Confident Canadians: Canadians who express their individuality and aspire to make a unique contribution to the world; […] Cosmopolitan Canadians as products of a powerful Canadian ideal – that people of different cultures, backgrounds, and religions can work together to build a better society; […] and Networked Canadians who are at the forefront of an emerging generation raised in a world where networks, as opposed to hierarchies and bureaucracies, are the dominant structure for everything from the international system to corporate entities to activist organizations.”
In addition to the active engagement of individual Canadians, respondents to the Greenhill survey commented on the growing perception of Canada as a "successful multiethnic society" - an example for other countries of what was possible. With one of the most diverse populations of any country in the world, Canada is seen by those outside our borders as one of the most internationally connected countries.
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The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world's Shia Ismaili Muslims, has noted, as well, that the world can learn from Canada's experiment with cultural diversity. The Aga Khan Development Network has established the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa "to draw from Canada's successful record in constructing and sustaining pluralist civil society."
While there is reason to be concerned about Canada's loss of stature and influence in international affairs, there is also reason for optimism. Canada's reputation may be restored, in part, by bringing attention to the positive contributions being made by individual Canadians who are engaged with a host of civil society organizations with a global outlook. The Foundation believes that the greatest source of optimism will derive from a focus on young Canadians who have both the disposition and ability to think and act as global citizens. And, we believe that the remarkable diversity of our population may present opportunities and comparative advantages for Canada that have yet to be fully realized.
Highlights from initiatives the foundation has supported through our youth engagement and diaspora and transnational communities grants are available. Or, return to our Global Citizenship page or the Foundation’s home page.