Restore Canada as peace leader

On September 21, the International Day of Peace
Restore Canada as peace leader

by Saul Arbess and Larry Kazdan

The contributions of Canada and its citizens to international peace and justice have been exceptional. 

A Canadian, John Humphrey, was the principal author of the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948.

United Nations peacekeeping developed from Lester Pearson's proposal to interpose troops between Arab and Israeli armies in 1956, an initiative for which he won the Nobel Prize. 

Canadians were pivotal players in the adoption of the Land Mines Treaty, an international accord which now regulates the actions of 156 countries and prevents countless injuries and deaths, often tragically involving children playing outdoors. 

Canada was a principal architect of the International Criminal Court, the first permanent tribunal to bring the perpetrators of egregious human rights violations – including heads of state –  to justice. A Canadian, Philippe Kirsch, became the Court's first president in 2003.

Canada also established the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, which in 2001 produced the landmark report Responsibility to Protect that calls upon the international community to prevent man-made catastrophes, and to intervene under stringent conditions for humanitarian purposes when a country is unwilling or unable to protect its own citizens.

And yet Canada is losing the lustre of much of its accomplishments as an international human rights and peace leader.

The current government voted against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which was overwhelmingly approved by the General Assembly.  Our government has failed to intervene forcefully on behalf of Canadian citizens held in Guantanamo Bay and other foreign countries, and has weakened its stance on capital punishment by not objecting to all planned executions of Canadians abroad.  In Afghanistan, our military has transferred prisoners to U.S. custody, in possible violation of the Convention against Torture.

Our commitment to UN peacekeeping has fallen away.  Canada now contributes only 55 soldiers to UN missions world-wide, and no Canadians can be found at the headquarters of the UN's Department of Peacekeeping. 

In Afghanistan, although Canadian Forces have not themselves planted land mines, they have taken advantage of those placed by Americans, a reliance which is against the spirit of the Land Mines Treaty and which undermines our moral authority.    

And now government-mandated changes to language used by Canadian diplomats such as avoiding the terms "human security",  "international humanitarian law" and "impunity" signal weakening support for the International Criminal Court and Responsibility to Protect.

Bold political leadership is required to revitalize Canada's role as an international peacekeeper and peacemaker.

Canadians must assume a greater role in UN peacekeeping again.  At a time when demand for UN troops has skyrocketed, about 2700 Canadian troops are committed to an all-consuming mission in Afghanistan under NATO command.  With a more balanced deployment, Canada could offer the services of several hundred soldiers to the UN as well as providing advanced communications equipment and specialized training.  In addition, we could lend our weight to the commendable drive to create a United Nations Emergency Peace Service, to be composed of approximately 15,000 personnel drawn from around the world but under UN control.  As well as providing a robust military presence to maintain security in global hotspots, a peace service would include sufficient police to help restore law and order, and an array of civilian teams specializing in humanitarian and disaster assistance, human rights and election monitoring, environmental services and conflict resolution.

Military might is never enough on its own.  The major incubator of preconditions that lead to war - high child mortality rates, discrimination against women and minorities, lack of economic opportunity, and lack of democratic input - are all found in failed and failing states.  To work with government and civil society in target countries, our government agencies must receive adequate resources, commensurate with the magnitude of the task, and much higher level of co-ordination.  A Department of Peace with a cabinet-level Minister is needed to reinvigorate Canada’s role as global peacekeeper and peacebuilder.

Canada was once respected by the international community because it supported multilateral institutions, rule of law and the general interests of the global community.  But now our priority has shifted to buying billions of dollars of military hardware, largely to provide interoperability with U.S. forces.  If Canadians are not satisfied to be merely the military sidekick of another nation, then our government must reaffirm Canada's greater mission:  promoting a culture of peace at home and abroad.  In the coming federal election, Canada's vital role in the world must be debated.



Saul Arbess is National Co-chair of the Canadian Department of Peace Initiative(CDPI)

Larry Kazdan is a Council Member of the World Federalist Movement-Canada