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<html> <head> <meta name="generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 10"> <meta http-equiv="content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <style> p { margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1px } body { font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal } </style> </head> <body> June 26, 2006 WHITEHORSE, Yukon 2006/12 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE PETER MACKAY, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND MINISTER OF THE ATLANTIC CANADA OPPORTUNITIES AGENCY, AT THE WHITEHORSE DIPLOMATIC FORUM Let me begin by saying how pleased we are that you have come this great distance to be with us in Whitehorse. I know you have all been struck during your time in Canada by just how vast a country this is, and yet flying up to Yukon brings the message home dramatically one more time. Everything here is big. The rivers are big. The mountains are big. The bears are big. And, for those of you who thought we had arranged a special flypast of jets—I hate to break the news to you...those were Yukon mosquitoes. You are in Canada to promote your countries’ interests, as you should. You are also here to help explain Canada to your own governments and citizens back home. That is why a visit to the North of Canada is so important; I am convinced that you cannot understand this country until you appreciate the role that the North has played in the formation of the Canadian character. Countries are more than just physical territories bounded by internationally recognized borders. There is also the geography of the imagination—that place where “home” is far more than just lines on a map—and for us Canadians, the North is at the very centre of our national imagination. Canadians are highly urbanized people, and yet when we talk to foreigners, almost the first words out of our mouths will be about our wilderness—the beautiful, wild country that can be found only hours from our largest cities and only minutes from our smaller towns and villages. Sometimes, I try to imagine what it must have been like to come to this country 300 years ago. Think of a husband and wife in the year 1720, just arrived from central France, asking each other in mid-October whether it might get any colder here in New France! Think of the famous movie Nanook of the North by Robert Flaherty. Released in 1922, it is often called the world’s first documentary. Mr. Flaherty followed the hunter Nanook and his family in the Arctic east of Hudson Bay, and his film is a beautiful testament to the spirit and humour of these extraordinary people. What many people don’t know, however, is that the Inuk hunter who played Nanook died of starvation shortly after the film was made because the hunt failed that year! The North plays such a central role in our foreign policy, especially on the issue of Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. My party campaigned on a platform of Arctic sovereignty, and we are committed to this policy. The Northwest Passage is Canadian—not international—territory, and we are taking steps to ensure our position is respected by the international community. But sovereignty is only one of many northern issues that occupy us. As we learn more about the earth’s ecology, we appreciate more the critical role that the north and south polar regions play in helping to regulate the global environment. More research is necessary. Next year will be International Polar Year, and Canada will be working with 50 other countries to advance our understanding and management of our polar regions. We have pledged $150 million over six years to support science, research and training, logistics, communications, data management and capacity building for the next generation of scientists. When people talk about sustainable development, the Canadian Arctic is as good an example as any of the need to establish the right balance between environmental protection and economic development. I mention the Arctic not only because we are here in Whitehorse, but also because I think the place of the Arctic in our foreign policy is a window for understanding how my government is approaching Canada’s overall international interests. Canada’s foreign policy is guided by our belief in the basic principles of freedom, democracy, respect for the rule of law and human rights. As you all know, describing a country’s foreign policy is a pretty abstract exercise; it’s only when we get to specific challenges that we can talk in concrete terms about what we are doing and will do in the future. And so, today, I want to talk about a few specific examples of what we are doing as illustrations of what you can expect from us in the future. I also want to talk about the Canada that I see, and the way that I believe Canada can make a distinctive mark in the world. Canada recognizes that foreign policy must embrace a complex set of relationships, tools, objectives and organizations, consistent with our government’s view that you accomplish more by focusing on a few important issues at a time. But I am not going to speak about all the dimensions of our foreign policy this morning. I won’t tell you that our commitment to Official Development Assistance is fundamental, nor extol the virtues of our cooperating with the European Union and the G8, nor tell you that we hope and expect to expand our commercial relations with the newly industrializing countries. This is not because I don’t believe that all this is important; instead it is simply so that I can talk a bit about what we have been doing since we took office without all focus being lost because of the size of the forest. To understand our approach to international affairs, you should look at the way we are addressing our domestic agenda. It is early days and a minority government faces certain constraints, but I think our approach is clear as laid out in the Speech from the Throne that opened Parliament:   •         Toward smaller, more focused government. We believe the federal government should not spend its time looking for new areas to get into when there is so much to be done in those areas where Canadians expect—and are right to expect—their government to act decisively and well.   •         Toward reducing the tax burden on individuals and corporations to allow them greater flexibility in making their own choices about their own well-being.   •         Toward better public safety for Canadians at home. Canadians have a right to feel secure in their own homes and neighbourhoods.   •         Toward greater accountability in public life. Government service is both a privilege and a grave responsibility. It is not “our” money that we spend; it is the hard-earned money of ordinary Canadians that we are entrusted to spend honestly and wisely.   •         Toward a more open approach to federal-provincial-territorial relations, including avoiding duplication and overlap of activities wherever possible. Good federalism requires working together, not working against each other.   •         Toward restoring public faith in government by saying what we are going to do, and then doing it. We will not make promises we cannot keep. We ask to be judged by the promises we fulfill. In our foreign policy, too, we want to be judged by our actions and not just our words. We are aiming for greater focus on key priorities. We want to make sure we spend our money wisely, and that the targets we establish are reached. A critical starting point for us is our recognition of the changing world in which Canada acts. The foreign policy challenges of today look very different from those of even a decade ago, and so do the players. Our capacity to make the most of new opportunities, meet new challenges, and sustain our effort on enduring obstacles must necessarily take these new realities into account; we must build new partnerships and habits of cooperation toward common goals. We believe that the traditional assets of our foreign policy, our diplomacy, our development assistance and our military have declined. Our new government is determined to reverse this. We have stated some clear ideas of where we intend to focus, including   •         a strengthened relationship with the United States; •         a strong defence policy, with a “Canada First” focus on protecting our sovereignty, particularly Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic; •         a firm commitment to stay the course in our effort to help bring peace and stability to Afghanistan; •         the promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law; •         the enhanced engagement of Parliament, the provinces and Canadians in international policy; •         reconstruction and reconciliation in Haiti and Darfur; and •         the support of Canadian prosperity through growth in the small business sector and more vigorous pursuit of commercial opportunities worldwide. There is clearly overlap among these issues, for example in our commitment to democracy and our commitments to Afghanistan or Haiti. We think they are worthwhile, and we will pursue all of them to the limits of our capabilities and our resources. It is always difficult to choose among competing demands, but it is not impossible. For us, the importance of an issue will be judged by how many key Canadian interests and values it engages. Haiti, for example, is important for many reasons. To name just a few:   •         human rights, economic development, the rule of law; •         regional stability; •         Canada’s leadership role within the Organization of American States in the promotion of democratic development; •         the fight against international crime, particularly the narcotics trade; •         environmental sustainability; and •         a sizable Canadian population of Haitian origin that has asked us to work with them to help bring peace and stability to their former home. As our second largest trading partner, China has become an integral ingredient in Canada’s future prosperity, as we are in theirs. Chinese, in its various dialects, makes up Canada’s third largest language group, and the Canadian-Chinese community of 1 million people in Canada gives us an almost uniquely important interest in China’s economic, social and political growth and development, including the strengthening of human rights, democratic governance and the rule of law, and in meeting the challenge of its growth in the global environment. Canada supports African governments and peoples striving to realize the New Partnership for Africa’s Development vision for a peaceful, prosperous continent, fully integrated into the world economy. We recognize that Africa faces enormous challenges and that its needs are acute. The continent has, however, made gains: the African Union’s leading role in conflict resolution; more free elections; and improved economic growth. Canada will continue to focus on regional stabilization, improving human rights and democratic development, and addressing associated humanitarian crises. For example:   •         we support the recently signed Darfur peace agreement and the rapid transition from the African Union peacekeeping force to the UN; our recent $40-million contribution for Darfur brings Canada’s total contribution throughout Sudan since September 2004 to $320 million; •         we will continue our diplomatic leadership in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes Region to bring about a democratic transition and stability during and after the critical July 30 elections; and •         we are seeking to mobilize G8 support for efforts to bring an early end to the conflict in northern Uganda and address the needs of the displaced population. When our interests are clear, and we have the capacity to act, we will do so—and quickly. Let me give you two examples. The Tamil Tigers [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, (LTTE)] are a terrorist organization. In April 2006, my government took the necessary and decisive step of adding the LTTE to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities. The second example is our decision to suspend Canadian assistance to the Hamas-dominated Palestinian government. Hamas is listed as a terrorist entity under Canadian legislation, which bars any funding whatsoever that risks supporting them in any way. But even more important is that Hamas bars the route to peace. We have consistently called on Hamas to renounce violence, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and accept previous agreements such as the Oslo Accords and the Roadmap for peace in the Middle East. Given this clarity of purpose, no one should be surprised that we decided to suspend funding to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. Our decision was balanced with our long-standing tradition of support to the Palestinian people. As a result, our humanitarian support and protection of the democratic and human rights of the Palestinian people is continuing through multilateral and non-governmental organizations, under close monitoring to avoid any risk of diversion to Hamas or any other terrorist groups. There were many people who supported our decision to cut off funds to Hamas who were still surprised that our government was the first to do so. It may be the right decision, the thinking went, but Canada never acts alone. We always wait to see what the others are doing, they said. We have no desire to act rashly. We are not in the business of trying to be first out of the starting blocks. But, when your interests are clear, when you see your duty to Canada and to other nations clearly, then there is no reason to hold back and wait for the rest to catch up. Leadership has its risks, but indecision and timidity—dithering— carry far greater risks for all of us. Our commitment to the UN-backed mission in Afghanistan flows from the same considerations: what interests and values does it engage? and what capabilities do we bring to the task? Our interests are clear:   •         we are there at the invitation of the Afghan people to help rebuild Afghanistan with many other countries, including 36 nations participating in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, and over 60 nations contributing to development; •         We are there to protect Canadians and people around the world from the threat of terrorism; and •         we are there to demonstrate Canadian leadership on the world stage. Supporting state-building in Afghanistan is one of the most critical challenges for the international community in the 21st century. It is also one of Canada’s largest-ever undertakings abroad, and so I want to take a little time to explain how we see the situation. The security of Canadians and of Canada was put at risk by the events of September 11, 2001; events that can be traced back directly to extremists who were provided a secure base of operations by the Taliban government of the day. The need to rebuild Afghanistan as a democratic state is central in the campaign against terrorism. This is a mission that has risks. Canadians have died serving their country in Afghanistan, but their deaths are not and will not be in vain. We must ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a haven for terrorists.   Our commitment to Afghanistan is a clear demonstration of our desire to support multilateral solutions to international challenges. The challenges in Afghanistan are enormous, and require an integrated effort that links security, governance and development. All three are necessary, but security is fundamental; without security, there is little prospect of making progress in any other area. Success, however, cannot be assured by military means alone; it requires simultaneous support to Afghan governance and development. Canada is a leader on all fronts. Afghanistan is Canada’s largest recipient of bilateral development assistance. In May, the Prime Minister announced an additional $310 million in development funding for Afghanistan (2006-07), bringing Canada’s total contribution to nearly $1 billion over 10 years (from 2001 to 2011). Furthermore, we will proceed with the acquisition of land and construction of a chancery, an official residence and staff housing for Canada’s embassy in Kabul. This will enable us to support enhanced diplomatic and development engagement in Afghanistan. How are we doing? We are still a long way from complete success and considerable challenges remain, but Afghanistan’s progress in just over four years is impressive by any standard. GDP has doubled; 63,000 former combatants have been disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated; 11,000 heavy weapons have been removed and safely secured; a national police force is being built; women are starting small businesses; refugees have returned in the millions; and some 5 million children—a third of them girls—are enrolled in primary school. These statistics, however, do not adequately convey the profound human dimensions of such striking progress. They do not capture the many individual triumphs that Afghans have achieved since 2001—the little girl going to school for the first time, the widow becoming self-sufficient, the voter being empowered by choice, the family of refugees finally coming home. Canada is helping to create freedom from fear—a freedom that would allow ordinary Afghans to lead their daily lives. I saw this for myself during my recent visit to Kabul and Kandahar, a palpable sense of hope that after so many decades of devastation, the country is on its way toward recovery and renewal. Our collective engagement is guided by an agreed international framework, entitled the Afghanistan Compact. Developed by the Afghan government, the Compact contains 40 concrete, measurable benchmarks to guide progress over the next five years, on critical issues in the areas of governance, development and security. Canada’s strategy is to support the realization of the clear goals Afghanistan has identified for itself in this compact. By measuring progress toward achieving the benchmarks, we will measure our success. Our commitment to improving the lives of Afghans is something that every Canadian can be proud of. This intuitive Canadian respect for others arises from the very nature of this country, out of the obstacles that we have overcome to build a home for ourselves in this magnificent land. We are several generations away from frontier times, but the rich legacy of neighbour helping neighbour remains strong, even when that neighbour speaks a different language and follows a religion different than the one you follow. Canada has always been a country where dreams of a better future counted more than memories of a bitter past. Walk around the streets of Whitehorse, and you will discover for yourselves this optimism on every street corner. The optimism that fired the earliest settlers in Canada is still with us, not only among succeeding waves of immigrants but throughout the entire population. Canada wants our foreign policy to be judged by results, because we take our responsibilities seriously, and we will see our responsibilities through to the end. Thank you. </body> </html>

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Last Updated: 2006-10-30	Top of Page	Important Notices