Go abroad, Canadian, or risk closing yourself off to the world
Conservatives face some critical decisions in Western democracies, but none more important than whether or not they will observe and enforce basic human truths that must be self-evident even to themselves.
“Don’t march for white power.” “Don’t threaten to lock up political opponents.” “Don’t commit treason.” Or, to phrase these no-nos in the current fashion as positive affirmations: “Be nice.” “Be tolerant.” “Be loyal to your democracy, not to the one that violates the territorial integrity and elections of other states.”
However these nuggets of obviousness are phrased, they are so clearly true that in an era of nationalist populism as absurd as this they can only elicit controversy. This week, to the list of political proverbs that we ought all be able to embrace or at least shrug at, a new report from a joint University of Ottawa and University of Toronto study group endeavours to add another: “Don’t close off young peoples’ minds and opportunities.” Or: “Get an education and see the world.”
This proposition is too perkily inclusive for Trudeau Liberals to pass up, and too anodyne to fail to infuriate conservatives of the Rebel persuasion. Perky, anodyne and indisputably true.
The report offers clear evidence that Canadian students are falling behind in access to global education: In 2014, the United States committed to doubling the number of American students who participate in international education programs within 10 years through scholarships and grants; that same year, Australia committed to encouraging 10,000 Australian students in studying or working abroad in neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, Canada has done nothing.
Canadian universities implement international learning programs independently of one another. Without a national strategy, the report finds that “Canada lags behind many of its peer countries on the key measure of how many undergraduate university students go abroad for part of their degree programs” and are going to economies of diminishing importance, and that this gap will widen unless Canada tries to compete.
The report also states that this gap will hurt us. Perhaps the “us” it will hurt politically depends on which ideological “us” to which you belong, but the economic impacts will be shared by all.
Even if international education programs seem better suited to progressives than conservatives given their administrators’ habit of leaning a little heavily on phrases such as “inclusivity” and “diversity,” as the nature of work shifts and the spectre of robotic overlords rises, global education programs are at their core intended to train students to be adaptable and competent participants in the global economy.
I’m old enough to remember a time when conservatives cared quite a bit about the economy. “Be free.” “Work hard.” None of which is to suggest that conservatives and progressives would agree on how to encourage students to work abroad.
International education is precisely the type of value, straightforward to the point of being dull, that causes street brawls now.
It’s true that populist-nationalist conservative anxieties around borders typically fixate on whatever is passing into them. Foreign immigrants, foreign companies — it’s the takeover they fear most. But there’s a nervousness too around whatever is leaving. Openness cuts (and closes) both ways.
The question is whether Conservative party leader Andrew Scheer will close a skills gap between our country and others by encouraging more Canadians to go abroad, and deny any more power to self-described anti-globalists, those who, in ways large and small, seek to marginalize not only immigrants, but anyone who wants to put their passport to use.
Scheer may be friendlierseeming than his predecessor, but both voters and global allies consider a smiling face impermanent proof of openness; see Justin Trudeau’s slipping poll numbers, as well as the outraged world leaders when he sabotaged the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal by churlishly refusing to show up and sign.
Scheer, at least, is new enough to still take advantage of the opportunity to make conservatism as open as he looks. He might start with the world.