Time to stop boasting about our global role
Polls show little support for increased spending on defence, international aid
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest on the international stage of all?
Canadians do like to preen and take pride in our international standing. But at the risk of being labelled traitorous, I’d say we’re more a nation of cheerful deadbeats than of caring doers when it comes to meeting our obligations to, and expectations of, our foreign allies.
Even this past week, as we highlighted our role in NATO, polling from the Angus Reid Institute shows four-in-five believe our reputation on the world stage is either “very good” (42 per cent) or “good” (41 per cent). It also shows more Canadians believe that our international standing has improved in the last decade — while fewer believe it’s worsened — than they did a few years ago.
Much of this is political. Self-perceptions of Canada’s international reputation took a hit during the Stephen Harper years, driven by the former Conservative prime minister’s stances on pipelines, the Paris climate accord and his professed friendship for Israel.
Little wonder, then, that an electorate looking for something different three years ago eagerly accepted Justin Trudeau’s promise of a return to a more Pearsonian outlook on international affairs.
When, on the morning after the 2015 election, Trudeau declared “Canada is back, and we’re here to help,” we nearly swooned.
When, in 2016, then-president Barack Obama gently chided from the floor of the Commons that the “world needs more Canada,” we full-on fainted.
But as much as we feel good about ourselves, the truth is, when it comes to doing our bit internationally, the people of this country are quite content to spend less than we’re supposed to and contribute less than we’re meant to, and stay out of the world’s problems.
As much as Canadians loathe Donald Trump, we’ve half-conceded that he is right to hector us and fellow NATO allies about our failure to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.
But though he may be right, we’re hardly inspired to do the right thing by paying our fair share in turn: The same survey showed only 40 per cent say Canada ought to increase our defence budget to meet this target. Doing so would require doubling spending to about $40 billion, a significant chunk of change. On this issue, it seems we are content to stand, not on principle, but on our rosy impressions of ourselves.
It is thus with foreign aid. In October 1970, the United Nations (that august institution on whose Security Council Canada desires a seat) passed a resolution that donor countries should contribute 0.7 per cent of gross national income to official development aid. But Canada doesn’t spend that much. Not even half that much. In 2015, we spent just over one-quarter of one per cent of GNI helping those abroad. And on balance, we’re OK with it: Fewer than 30 per cent said in March of this year that Canada’s national giving needs to be greater.
Then there are our contradictory feelings about getting involved in international crises. The plight of the Rohingya? More than half said late last year that “ultimately, the situation in Myanmar is not Canada’s problem.” When we release new, forthcoming data on Canadian views about Mali — where the federal government is sending 250 troops for a year-long mission — the sentiment will be similar. Given this, it’s hard to see this country warming overwhelmingly to Trudeau’s new commitment this week of 250 troops on a training mission in Iraq.
Is Canada back? Or is it just looking backwards? The legacy of Canadians in blue berets, doing right around the world, is one that I am proud of. Indeed, most of us are. But as much as it makes us feel warm inside, the mirror doesn’t lie.
In thought, and action, we’ve been tilting more in the direction of “Canada First.” Not all the way, but far enough that perhaps we shouldn’t be quite so smug about our performance these days in the global arena.