Dion sets aside teaching for ‘rush’ of top diplomatic post
AMBASSADOR TO EU
OTTAWA• Former Liberal leader and foreign affairs minister Stéphane Dion ended weeks of speculation Tuesday when he said he has accepted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s offer to be Canada’s ambassador to the European Union and Germany.
Dion made the announcement while saying goodbye to his House of Commons colleagues, following a similar tribute from former immigration minister John McCallum, both of whom were shuffled out of the federal cabinet earlier this month.
McCallum had already agreed to be China’s ambassador to China; Dion, weighing his options, finally ended the suspense after question period Tuesday, saying he would embrace the challenges associated with strengthening Canada’s ties with the EU.
Both were casualties of a cabinet shuffle aimed at preparing for the ascendance of Donald Trump, who has also provoked China at a time when Canada seeks to deepen economic co-operation, including pursuing a free-trade agreement.
If Dion was apprehensive about the role, McCallum clearly had no such misgivings: “This China assignment,” he said, grinning, “is the perfect job for me.”
Dion takes up his new diplomatic post at a tumultuous and pivotal time as the 28- country EU bloc negotiates its historic Brexit divorce with Britain. He will also have a front-row seat for the rise of anti- trade populism and far- right political clamouring as he tries to shepherd Canada’s massive free trade deal with the EU to conclusion.
Dion was replaced as foreign affairs minister by Chrystia Freeland, who as Trudeau’s trade minister and in a previous career as a journalist had forged strong connections in the U.S.
Dion did not initially accept the “senior position” he was offered by Trudeau, a sign that he was not happy about the decision to relive him of his portfolio. That uncertainty continued well into his speech Tuesday, notwithstanding the awkward moment when McCallum — who spoke first — appeared to spill the beans about Dion prematurely.
“In its own way, the European continent is facing the same challenges as us, ensuring that openness and i nclusion triumphs over exclusion and xenophobia, ensuing a path to inclusive growth and demonstrating that free trade be combined with workers’ rights and respect for the environment,” he said.
The University of Montreal offered him a guest professor job “under very attractive conditions. I almost said yes, because in my eyes there is no better profession than that of a teacher,” he said.
“But I don’t have to explain to anyone here how much of an adrenalin rush we all get from taking action or just how irresistible the call to public service is, especially when that call comes from the prime minister.”
It’s unusual for Canada to have one ambassador for the EU and Germany, suggesting Trudeau had to sweeten the offer, said Fen Hampson, an international affairs expert at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ont.
But sending a former party leader and foreign minister to Brussels and Berlin “sends a strong message Canada is deeply committed to both missions,” Hampson said.