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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MR. KILGOUR - ADDRESS AT THE JOINT ASIA-PACIFIC AND INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANADIAN STUDIES CONFERENCE - MYSORE, INDIA</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE DAVID KILGOUR, SECRETARY OF STATE (ASIA-PACIFIC), AT THE JOINT ASIA-PACIFIC AND INDIAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANADIAN STUDIES CONFERENCE ON "MANAGING GLOBALIZATION AND CANADIAN STUDIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY" MYSORE, India January 9, 2003 I am honoured to be with you to inaugurate this joint 3rd Asia-Pacific and 19th Indian Association of Canadian Studies Conference. The size of this event, with approximately 300 participants and about 100 workshops, speaks to the growing importance of Canadian studies in the region. Hearty congratulations to the organizers. What more appropriate country could we find than India--home to the largest association of Canadian studies on earth--to examine some of the nuances of globalization in an Asia-Pacific-Canadian context? Canada and Asia Pacific are being knitted together more tightly almost daily by human linkages. From Afghanistan to the South Pacific, Mongolia to Australia, almost every Asia-Pacific nation has a growing community in Canada. One in about thirty Canadians is of Indian origin. To offer a second example, Canada has the largest Sri Lankan expatriate community in the world, at almost 250,000 persons. There are now about one million Canadians of Chinese origin. Canadians from across Asia Pacific are making indelible contributions to our country in every sphere of activity. Globalization On the globalization issue, permit me to quote a hero to so many of us, Mahatma Gandhi: "I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides, and my windows to be closed. Instead, I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any." Gandhi was prophetic. As the diverse "houses" in the world today have seen their windows open further in the late 20th century, new breezes of interactivity are blowing. No nation or culture is immune. Technological and other breakthroughs have shrunk the world even more, created new opportunities to learn from each other, and, if managed responsibly, probably placed within our grasp the means to live together more securely and peacefully. Globalization, for example, has certainly created new trade opportunities. It has brought greater competition, leaving some inefficient monopolies in its wake. The faster economic growth necessary to raise living standards in India and elsewhere is now feasible. For some developing economies, globalization has provided access to new export markets, foreign investment, and new technologies. During the 1990s, some emerging economies that were open to integration into the world economy evidently grew more than twice as fast as developed ones. Globalization is consolidating democracy as the only legitimate political system. Of course, there is no single democratic model, but the idea that every human being should freely choose those who govern them--and can peacefully change governments through the ballot box--is now pervasive almost everywhere. Whereas 50 years ago, only about 30 countries were rated as genuinely democratic, approximately 140 countries now have multi-party elections with universal suffrage. The largest democracy, with more than 600 million voters, is India. As Gandhi had hoped, the world's cultures are being "blown about the house" like never before. Borders are becoming fluid, travel has become easier (if more dangerous), and previously isolated and dying cultures and languages are sometimes finding new ways to express and preserve themselves. Ills of Globalization Many, as Gandhi said, have refused to be "blown off their feet." Indeed, while a business summit was going on in Hyderabad this week, across town, India's former President K.R. Narayanan was arguing at the Asian Social Forum that countries in the region must come together to drive globalization away as they did colonialism. Certainly, many nations are still poorly prepared for the effects of globalization. There are negative consequences. Overly individualistic consumerism ("I shop; therefore I am.") is certainly one of them. So is an undue emphasis on the "bottom line", when it shows little regard for indigenous values, languages, and cultures. Perhaps the gravest worry many have about globalization is that it threatens to leave many peoples even further behind. Managed Globalization In my mind, globalization realistically cannot be stopped; what is needed is better management of it by all. Entrepreneurship needs to be reinforced by a greater sense of community. Vigilant governments and civil society everywhere should compel business people to act responsibly. Poor countries should be helped to develop needed capacity and be given full opportunities to exploit their advantages. Education for all must be recognized as the ultimate key to dignity and prosperity. I would argue that Canada is a country that is providing a good model of managed globalization. Study of Canada Canadians opted for a political evolution approach through which we and many countries, including India, became independent without rupturing old ties. George-Etienne Cartier, after playing a key role in creating our Confederation in 1867, contrasted our peaceful evolution with the violence and terror that accompanied political revolution in his other motherland of France. We have built in our part of North America a unique political space, based on civility, balance, modernity and tradition, in which a wide variety of people and cultures can develop in harmony. "Otherness" is respected by the vast majority of Canadians. We have built a society based on human rights, dignity for all, and social responsibility, resulting in a quality of life that is the envy of many. We have produced cultural achievements of global renown, which reflect the full diversity of our heritage. Canadians have played a role in the defence of freedom and the ideals of civilized humanity on this continent as well as others. Korea is a well known example, but if you will permit a personal one, my wife's late father, George Scott, served in our Air Force in World War Two for part of his service from Darjilling. My uncle, Frank White, was serving in the Canadian army in northern India at the time of partition in 1947 with its horrific results for so many persons. Does all this make us a country worth studying? Certainly. Do we have something to offer the world? Absolutely. Are we perfect? Of course not. Neither Canada nor any other country has a monopoly on virtue. We are all the products of our personal environments, history and traditions--homegrown, imported, and blended. We carry the benefit and the burden of many things done and many left undone. It is important that we note our experiences, build on successes, and acknowledge errors. Some think our ability to self-criticize is our best national feature. As our political space fills in with an ever widening range of beliefs, traditions, values and cultures, our dialogue must become broader, more inclusive, and more meaningful. This is now reflected in our literature, films and art, in our politics, in our society, and in the way Canadians do things--and thus makes us worth studying. When placed in the context of a rapidly globalizing world--one which magnifies human potential as much as it fishes for differences--this becomes all the more important. We need models of understanding and of acceptance. Canada is one such model; India is another. India's Model India is showing the world that democracy and unity in diversity, where there is constitutional space for all in a climate of genuine pluralism, are possible beyond the industrialized nations of the West and/or North. India's history of individual liberty and social diversity positions it well to reap economic benefits in an increasingly liberalized world. As Gurcharan Das wrote in his book, India Unbound: "India embraces democracy first and capitalism afterwards and this has made all the difference....It is more likely to preserve its way of life and its civilization of diversity, tolerance and spirituality." This will be a major contribution to the world of the 21st century; India is a beacon for many others to imitate. Supporting Canadian Studies As unique models of political and social development, India and Canada have much to share with others and each other. For more than 30 years, the Shastri-Indo Canadian Institute has been doing just that. Jointly funded by our two governments, the Institute has been the main vehicle for promoting cultural and academic relations between our peoples. In recent years, its activities have broadened considerably: Shastri membership in Canada has grown from four to twenty-one Canadian institutions, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Other ties with India's academic community have been built through our long tradition of Commonwealth Scholarships. Over 400 Indian students have studied in Canada under this program since the 1960s. Last year, there were 15 such scholars, and we're hoping to increase this number in the years to come. Our Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade contributes a little more than one million Canadian dollars a year to Canadian studies in the Asia-Pacific region, the lion's share of which--about $325,000--comes to India. Last year, we provided four awards under the Canada-Asia-Pacific Award Program, which was created at the First Asia-Pacific Conference on Canadian studies in Japan in 1998. We're hopeful that more Indian academics will apply in coming years. Across Asia Pacific, the development of Canadian studies has been possible thanks to the efforts and dedication of many individuals like you and others who could not join us today. The government of Canada is proud to have supported you and will continue to do so in the years to come. Conclusion To conclude, I'd like to leave you with a quote from another hero to many of us, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Earlier this week in a taped message to the Asian Social Forum, she said: "Not only should we believe that another world is possible, but we have to say that another world must be created … in order that we may be able to live in dignity as human beings." We of the early 21st century have the opportunity and the challenge to do just that. We can connect the peoples of the world with each other in ways undreamed of even a generation ago. Canadian studies, like all fields, must accept this challenge. We must attract young scholars and inspire them. We must explore new areas of study, new ways of looking at old problems. We must make effective use of the new communications technologies, which now provide an opportunity to transfer information, access source material, and present knowledge to far more people at far less cost. Canada will continue to support you and your endeavours in the future as we have in the past. Thank you. </body> </html>

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