Canada: International relations, defense and foreign policy December 2024-

Andrew Coyne: With the country under attack, Trudeau leaves it to drift – for months
At one point the Prime Minister mused “we are at a critical moment in the world.” He got that much right, not least where Canada is concerned. The country is under assault on several fronts: by China, by India, by Russia, but most of all, incredibly, by the United States, whose president-elect has, for no sensible reason, declared economic war on us.

2 January
Why Canada should join the EU
Europe needs space and resources, Canada needs people. Let’s deal
(The Economist) …As it turns out, both Europe and Canada may be in the market for upgraded alliances. Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20th brings with it the prospect of tariffs and jingoistic bluster. Nerves are jangling on both sides of the north Atlantic. Places on the fringes of the European Union are rethinking their ties to the club. Switzerland has agreed to a closer alliance, and Iceland will hold a referendum in 2027 on joining. Greenland, which left the EU in 1985 after gaining autonomy from Denmark, might consider rejoining, given Mr Trump’s obsession with it. But Canada may have the most to fret about. Mr Trump is goading his neighbour by suggesting it is about to become America’s 51st state and referring to its prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau”. Officials from Ottawa and EU capitals have been trading notes on how to handle another bout of Mr Trump. Charlemagne, who enjoys both European and Canadian heritage, has a ready solution to both places’ woes: the EU should invite Canada to become its 28th member.
The (not entirely straightforward) case for CanadEU predates Mr Trump. It is, in short, that Canada is vast and blessed with natural resources but relatively few people, while the EU is small, cramped and mineral-poor. …

Canada set to preside over G7 in 2025 amid political instability at home and abroad
Canada will host G7 leaders’ summit in Alberta in June
(Canadian Press) Canada is set to take over the presidency of the G7 in 2025, leading a forum of seven of the world’s most advanced economies at a time of political instability at home and around the world.
The rotating presidency involves a series of meetings across the hosting country for senior officials of G7 countries, who co-ordinate policies ranging from defence to digital regulation. Some meetings involve civil society groups, business leaders and organized labour.
… Sen. Peter Boehm, a former diplomat who played a central role in Canada’s participation in the G7 for decades, said it’s a key tool for Canada to exert influence and safeguard economic and security interests. “Our participation in the G7 is is potentially the jewel of the crown of our foreign policy,” he said.
15 October 2024
G7 countries looking at stronger measures to fight foreign interference: LeBlanc

2024

RCMP, partners gear up for major security effort ahead of 2025 G7 Summit in Kananaskis
Lessons learned from hosting world leaders summit in Kananaskis in 2002 to inform planning for 2025.

6 December 2023
Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
More than a Vocation: Canada’s Need for a 21st Century Foreign Service
Are Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the Canadian foreign service fit for purpose? This is the question that prompted the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (the committee) to conduct the first substantive examination of the Canadian foreign service in more than 40 years. The global environment has changed dramatically since 1981 when the Royal Commission on Conditions of Foreign Service published its report, not least because of globalization, new geopolitical alignments, and technological advancements.

8 December
Statement on the situation in Syria
Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
“Canada welcomes the end of the Assad regime in Syria, a regime that has inflicted decades of suffering on its own people. This event marks a significant turning point for the Syrian people, who have endured unimaginable hardship under the rule of Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad. …”

6 December
Ottawa unveils new policy for what it now calls the ‘North American Arctic’
Robert Fife
Canada will begin security talks with allies to protect the Arctic from military and economic challenges posed by Russia and China under a new Arctic policy unveiled Friday that also includes working more closely with the United States.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly worked on the strategy for more than a year as Canada and allies bordering the Arctic grapple with China gaining a major foothold in the region through its alliance with Russia. They’re also dealing with climate change, as melting ice opens up new shipping routes and mineral exploration.
The policy introduces a new framing of the Arctic. It calls the region the “North American Arctic” 13 times in the document, an apparent stress of how important co-operation with the United States and its military will be.
As The Globe and Mail reported last year, China, although it has no territory fronting the Arctic, is rapidly building up its presence in the region through Russia. Moscow is facing a severe budget crunch from its military assault on Ukraine, and increasingly relies on Beijing and unprecedented levels of Chinese corporate and state investment to develop the area. China’s northernmost tip is still located about 1,500 kilometres from the Arctic.
25 August 2023
Ron Huebert: China is on a relentless mission to control Canada’s Arctic waters