Obama speaks up for climate pact in speech
OBAMA SPEAKS UP FOR CLIMATE PACT, DEMOCRACY IN MONTREAL SPEECH
Barack Obama, the former U.S. president, delivered his trademark message of hope on everything from climate change to the state of democracy in a major address organized by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
Obama told the sold-out crowd of more than 6,000 that although this is a time of great disruption, as the world faces the scourge of terrorism, greater inequality in the face of globalization and a rising populist backlash, the best chance for a more prosperous future is still the international order that has been in place since the Second World War.
That includes free trade, the market economy, and the social welfare state that gives people equal opportunity, Obama said, along with the rule of law, immigration and international co-operation.
“The United States and Canada helped to lead that effort, co-operated to make the world a more secure, just and prosperous place,” he said. “Our history together, our efforts together, speak to a common set of values.”
Obama never mentioned U.S. President Donald Trump, but his carefully chosen words nevertheless seemed to offer a critique on the direction his successor has taken in a few short months.
“We are in an environment where we are only accepting information based on what our opinions are rather than basing our opinions on the facts we receive, and reason and logic,” he said.
He also expressed dismay that the U.S. has now abandoned the Paris Climate Accord Obama helped forge by getting longtime holdouts China and India to sign on.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed,” Obama said. But he noted that much of the groundwork laid in bringing about the historic deal will ensure its survival as other countries and industry leaders take up the torch. He said investments his government made in renewables like solar and wind have now made green energies the economic choice.
“We’re just going to have to ask with more urgency,” Obama said regarding climate change. “I’m looking forward to the United States being a leader and not on the sidelines going forward.”
The former president also seemed to take a dig at Trump when he discussed the current age of instant information.
“Where TV and Twitter can feed us a steady stream of bad news and sometimes fake news, it can seem like the international order we have created is constantly being tested and the centre may not hold,” he said.
“And in some cases, that leads people to search for certainty and control and they can call for isolationism or nationalism or they can suggest rolling back the rights of others.
“Or simply they can try to retreat and suggest we have no obligations beyond our borders, or beyond our communities, or beyond our tribe — that what’s good for me and my immediate people is all that matters, that everyone else is on their own.”
Obama’s Montreal address was one of his first international speeches since leaving office in January. It also came after a G7 Summit in Europe that prompted German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say Europe can no longer depend on American leadership.
Hours before Obama spoke in Montreal, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland made a similar statement, saying
TWITTER CAN FEED US A STEADY STREAM OF BAD NEWS AND SOMETIMES FAKE NEWS.
Canada can no longer rely on the United States for protection, and thus must invest in its own military. Her words marked a major departure in Canadian foreign policy.
While there is an unspoken rule that ex-politicians don’t weigh in on current matters, Obama warned as he was leaving office that he would speak out if he saw it necessary.
“I thought things would be a little more quiet for me over the first year,” Obama quipped.
Obama said it is dangerous to doubt democracy, even though it has its flaws.
“Those who believe in those values and believe in democracy, we have to speak out with conviction,” he said. “That’s our only choice, that’s what’s brought us this far.”
Obama was also asked by moderator Sophie Brochu, the CEO of Gaz Métro, if any of the women in his family might attempt to break the glass ceiling Hillary Clinton tried and failed to do by becoming the first female U.S. president.
“If you took a survey of Michelle, Malia and Sasha, it will not be them,” Obama said of his wife and two daughters. “The girls may change their minds but Michelle won’t . ... In my lifetime I think we’ll see a woman president of the United States.”