FAIT Committee Report

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Committee Report

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Supplementary Opinion: Canadian Alliance

…to the SCFAIT CONTRIBUTION TO THE FOREIGN POLICY DIALOGUE

SECTION 1:
Advancing Democracy Abroad: Our Security Depends on it

Canada has a long-term economic and strategic interest in creating a more peaceful world. The best — and perhaps only — way to advance this goal is through the successful promotion of democracy and free enterprise.

In the history of humanity scarcely a single war has been fought between democratic countries. Free and democratic states — committed to individual rights, private property, free enterprise and elected representation — are statistically proven to be less inclined towards armed conflict. Instead of competing militarily through war, democratic countries opt to compete economically through commerce and politically through debate.

This is the case because democracies are accountable to the citizens who bear the cost and suffering of war. Citizens in democratic free enterprise countries typically elect governments that bring the prosperity of trade rather than the hardship of war.

Dr. Spencer R. Weart explained this truth in his exhaustive book, Never at War: Why Democracies Never Fight One Another.

In it, he shared the results of a rigorous statistical analysis, in which scholars compiled lists of hundreds of conflicts from the past two centuries. The researchers asked themselves an important question: “what was the probability that absence of wars between well-established democracies is a mere accident?”

“The answer: less than one chance in a thousand.”¹

According to another renowned political scientist, Jack Levy, “the absence of war between democracies comes as close as anything we have to an empirical law in international relations.”²

The conclusion that foreign policy makers can reach from this evidence is that the best way to enhance long-term world peace and therefore protect Canadian security is through the international advancement of democracy and freedom of enterprise. This constitutes Canada’s Enlightened National Interest.

Besides serving Canadian interests, the promotion of individual rights and democracy is the right thing to do. Freedom of speech, enterprise, faith and suffrage cuts across race, religion and culture. Together these freedoms constitute the Natural Interests of all of humanity.

Recommendations:

1.	Canada must support democratic countries and groups that face threats from despotic neighbours. These threatened democracies are strategic allies to Canada by virtue of our shared values.

Canada should support them diplomatically, economically and strategically in concert with key allies.

2.	Canada must continue supporting the democratic reconstruction efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other failed states.

3.	Canada should speak openly of the wrongness of oppressive regimes and their conduct. In the new diplomatic order leaders must confront the enemies of democracy with strong words, not comforting dialogue.

4.	Canada must focus foreign aid on specific countries which have the most need rather than on a regional basis. Countries will be identified not only on the basis of need, but also the institutional capacity to ensure aid will be effective.

SECTION 2:
Standing with our Friends — Combating Security Threats

Canada must stand with its friends. Traditional allies are Canada’s most reliable source of security in a dangerous world. Our country cannot afford to take these relationships for granted. Working in concert with our true allies, Canada can do more to bring common solutions to global problems and to advance our interests. As noted in Paragraph 21 of the SCFAIT Contribution to the Foreign Policy Dialogue, numerous committee witnesses explained that multilateralism is one of the “means of achieving Canada’s foreign policy goals, rather than an end in itself.”

“Soft power” will not keep Canada safe in a dangerous world. Our enemies do not engage in dialogue, but rather destruction. The only way for Canada to be safe and secure in this dangerous world is through strong allied cooperation and reinvestments in our own military capacity.

Recommendations:

1.	Canada must re-establish links with traditional allies especially the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and others in developing common solutions to global problems.³

2.	Canada must maintain its sovereignty in all foreign policy decisions. Canada’s national interests should determine when its alignments with international institutions.⁴

3.	Canada should increase investment in the armed forces to meet our NATO requirements and to attain the level proscribed by the Auditor General.⁵

4.	There must be a clarification and separation of the necessary roles of the military and necessary roles of humanitarian agencies.

5.	Canada should support the development of a National Missile Defence system in concert with the United States.

Canada should consider sanctions against state sponsors of terrorism. Countries such as Iran, North Korea, Libya, Syria and others have all provided financing, training, arms and safe havens for various terrorist groups over the past two decades. The greatest danger to North America now arises from the frightening possibility that rogue states will facilitate the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by terrorist groups.

¹	Weart, Spencer, Never at War. 1998, Yale University Press. P. 4.

²	Ibid. P. 5.

A SCFAIT Contribution to the Foreign Policy Dialogue, Paragraph 17:
"The validity of that statement didn't get buried in the sands of Iraq, or in the failure of our efforts to promote a compromise proposal at the United Nations on Iraq. It means we have to engage the United States on a variety of issues and be prepared to discuss their concerns as much as our own. That is how Canada's commitment to multilateralism can be combined with efforts to influence the United States. Take them at their word, engage, rather than constant carping from the sidelines."

⁴	Ibid. Paragraph 2: "The continuing value of multilateralism as a means of achieving Canada's foreign policy objectives rather than as an end in itself."

⁵	Ibid. Paragraph 2: "The fundamental need for increased resources for all elements of Canadian foreign policy, including diplomacy, defence and development assistance."