How can Bob Rae help solve Burma’s Rohingya crisis?

Chrystia Freeland has already signalled that the Trudeau government is unwilling to strip Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship. Should it sanction her in other ways?

By appointing former Ontario New Democratic Party premier Bob Rae to investigate Burma’s Rohingya crisis, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has picked a singularly versatile envoy.

But it’s not exactly clear how Rae — and ultimately Canada — can curb what Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has already called “crimes against humanity.”

Even Rae seemed uncharacteristically daunted when he met reporters Monday, noting that “I don’t pretend to be a miracle worker.”

He said he’d come up with something concrete by January.

Close to a million Rohingya Muslims have been driven from their homes in Burma — most of them in the last two months. They have flooded into refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.

The United Nations calls this deliberate ethnic cleansing by the Burmese government and army. Canada concurs.

Burma argues that the Rohingya, most of whom have lived in the country for generations, are foreign interlopers who are merely going back to where they came from.

From a distance, it has all the hallmarks of a classic ethno-religious conflict — like that which roiled Bosnia and Rwanda in the 1990s.

Buddhist nationalists are said to be the driving force behind anti-Rohingya sentiment. Most Burmese are Buddhists.

Realistically, Rae’s ability to accomplish anything is tightly circumscribed. Ottawa has already pronounced the Burmese government culpable in crimes against humanity. That government is unlikely to help Rae gather facts to support this conclusion.

Still, there are things the special envoy can do.

First, he can look into why the Rohingya are so persecuted. Are these simply ancient hatreds playing themselves out? Or are there more proximate reasons such as disputes over land and resources?

We know there are Rohingya militants. The government’s latest crackdown came after these militants killed 12 police officers in August. Does this insurgency pose a real threat to Burma?

Second, Rae could spell out any leverage that Canada does have. Should Ottawa threaten to reimpose the economic sanctions that were loosened five years ago when Burma became somewhat more democratic?

Should Ottawa insist that Canadian mining and other companies avoid Burma? Right now, government agencies such as Export Development Canada advertise that they help Canadian firms hoping to do business there.

Should Ottawa use its new Magnistky Act to impose sanctions on Burmese politicians, such as de facto government leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who are believed responsible for gross human rights violations?

Freeland has already signalled that the Trudeau government is unwilling to strip Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship. Should it sanction her in other ways? Rae could look at that question.

Finally, Rae could look into any indirect leverage Canada has over Burma.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has considerable sway in the region, has chosen not to criticize Burma’s handling of the Rohingya crisis. Could Trudeau persuade him to harden his position? Could he try similar tactics with Burma’s other major trading partners, such as China and Japan?

These are a few of things Rae could reasonably look at. He is an energetic fellow and probably has many more in mind.

The point is that this need not necessarily be an exercise in sheer futility.

The former New Democrat turned Liberal has a reputation as someone who knows a lot about a lot. He’s been hired by one government to look at whether universities should raise tuition fees (answer: yes) and by another to see whether there should be an inquiry into the 1985 Air India bombing (yes again).

He has been involved in trying to figure out what to do with Canada’s blood supply and how to bail out the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. At one point, he investigated a constitutional solution for Sri Lanka’s civil war.

But his newest assignment is particularly tricky. The UN hasn’t been able to winkle out a solution for the Rohingya crisis. Will Bob Rae have better luck?

We can only hope.