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Canada in the World Main Page
IV. THE PROTECTION OF OUR SECURITY, WITHIN A STABLE GLOBAL FRAMEWORK
Assuring Canada's security remains a fundamental responsibility of government, even
as the international context and the security threats it poses have changed. In this new
order, the task is much more complex. Canada is ever more affected by what occurs
elsewhere in the world. As such, our understanding of the challenges to our security
has expanded.
Canadians recognize the vital link between their own security and prosperity and the
security of others. Just as Canadians appreciate that prosperity demands the best
possible mix of domestic and international economic policies, so too they realize that
protecting and enhancing their security and prosperity requires a security policy that
promotes peace in every part of the world with which Canada has close economic and
political links. For a country with interests as widespread as Canada's, this means that
a global approach is needed.
However, the concerns of Canadians about security issues are broader than those of
self-interest. The desire to help others to build peace reflects some of the most deeply-held and widely-shared Canadian values. Our security policy must reflect this spirit.
Financial constraints do impose choices on us. It is essential, therefore, that we
establish clear directions for our security policy.
As the Government's 1994 Defence White Paper pointed out, our memberships in the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the North American Aerospace Defence
(NORAD) Agreement remain key guarantees of our military security. Though today,
direct threats to Canada's territory are diminished, the Government considers it
necessary to maintain a military capability appropriate to this still uncertain and
evolving international environment. However we are making adjustments within that
capability to enhance our ability to contain conflict.
Protecting our security must go beyond military preparedness. New approaches, new
instruments, new institutional roles and political responsibilities in the maintenance of
international security must be developed. Movement will continue away from security
policies and structures based on containment toward new architectures designed to
build stability and cooperation. Canada will be at the forefront of those helping to shape
a broader framework that responds to the demands of a changing security environment.
Security: the Basis for Action
Shared human security: a broader concept of security.
Serious long term challenges are posed by environmental, demographic, health and
development issues around the globe. Some of these challenges - such as global
warming - could affect us directly. Others may provoke crises producing humanitarian
tragedies, epidemics, mass migrations, and other problems from which, even if half a
world away, Canada will not be immune. Still others may result in the adoption abroad
of policies that ultimately degrade our economic security by undercutting labour, health,
environmental or other international standards. All of this demands a broadening of the
focus of security policy from its narrow orientation of managing state-to-state
relationships, to one that recognizes the importance of the individual and society for
our shared security.
Meeting the challenges that this broader security agenda poses means, as the National
Forum on Canada's International Relations concluded, working for the promotion of
democracy and good governance, of human rights and the rule of law, and of prosperity
through sustainable development. Canadian foreign policy will continue to pursue these goals.
There is consensus that such a broader orientation can best be achieved - at least
cost, and to best effect - through approaches that broaden the response to security
issues beyond military options and focus on promoting international cooperation,
building stability and on preventing conflict. The Government will advance this
objective through a more integrated approach, marshalling all our foreign policy
instruments.
Because of the transnational or global nature of the threats, human security demands
cooperative international action. Canada will continue to work with others in a variety
of fora to address these issues.
Sustainable development: a precondition for human security.
The Special Joint Committee, and the many witnesses appearing before it, recognized
that Canadian international development assistance is more than an expression of
Canadians' values - of our sense of justice, and of our desire to help. They saw that it
also plays a critical role in addressing many of the key issues that now head the global
security agenda. Problems such as environmental degradation and growing disparities
between rich and poor affect human security around the world and are areas where
Canada can make an effective contribution by promoting sustainable development
through its program of development cooperation. The International Development
Research Centre also makes a notable contribution through its efforts to foster
progressive change in developing countries and its focus on sustainable development.
Preventing conflict and peacebuilding are essential goals.
As set out in Chapter VI, Canada's International Assistance programs are dedicated, in
significant measure, to forestalling these threats to global security.
The evidence is sadly clear, however, that development assistance is not enough to
forestall conflict. Where stability does break down, and armed conflict looms, the
international community must use all measures at its disposal, including a graduated
set of diplomatic and military steps, broadly conceived and co-operatively executed, to
prevent a slide into war.
Preventive diplomacy is most frequently conducted by multilateral institutions such as
the UN, but can also be undertaken regionally or bilaterally. Canada, in co-operation
with key partners at the UN and elsewhere, will focus on practical measures that hold
prospects of success.
Regional security organizations can lead in this field, not least through confidence-building
measures. We will be working to expand the capacity of regional
organizations, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), the OAS and the OAU, to carry out such preventive diplomacy in the future.
Peacebuilding, the process of reinforcing efforts to build peace through economic and
institutional rehabilitation, is critical to sustaining the efforts of local populations and of
the international community to resolve conflicts. Canada's international assistance
program will foster peacebuilding through technical assistance to strengthen the
capacity of societies emerging from conflict to meet the needs and aspirations of their
populations. In addition, the commitment to addressing individual security needs
through the UN system will be a priority. This was reflected in the Government's
approach to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in
Cairo, and will continue at the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen
and at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
Instruments for Building Security
Conflict management at the global level: our commitment to the United Nations.
- The UN continues to be the key vehicle for pursuing Canada's global security
objectives. Canada can best move forward its global security priorities by working with
other member states. The success of the UN is fundamental, therefore, to Canada's
future security.
But the UN must be more effective.
- We want the UN to be fully capable of dealing with the array of new global
security issues. That is why we are putting so much effort into making the Organization
work better. To this end, at the General Assembly in September 1994, Canada
pledged to work to:
- strengthen the UN's capacity for preventive action;
- conduct an in-depth review of the UN's economic and social activities to reflect a
broader definition of global security;
- strengthen the UN's rapid reaction capability;
- improve the functioning of the UN's decision making bodies; and
- put the UN on a sound financial basis.
Success in these efforts will make an essential contribution both to the short- and
long-term effectiveness of the Organization.
- With a view to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the UN and to
reducing duplication in activities, Canada intends to undertake, and will encourage
other countries to do likewise, a full review of the Organization and related agencies.
The results of this review will assist in decisions regarding future contribution levels.
Reinforcing the UN.
- Strengthening the peace function: We intend to press for improvements in the
means of implementing UN peacekeeping and peace enforcement decisions in a timely
and effective way. Serious shortcomings in UN capabilities in this regard have been
highlighted by slow and hesitant decision-making in the UN that delayed deployment of
personnel at the outset of UN involvement in Somalia in 1992, and again in Rwanda in
the spring of 1994 when urgent reinforcement of the UN's presence on the ground UN's
inability to respond quickly on the ground to such crises suggests the need for
drastically improved rapid reaction capability. Intermediate solutions, such as those
developed by the UN Standby Forces Project, have so far yielded only limited improvements.
Canada is leading, therefore, a ground-breaking study of options for a UN rapid
reaction capability.
This study on how the UN can intervene most effectively in fast-breaking crises
will be available in time for the UN's fiftieth anniversary during the next General
Assembly session. Its conclusions on short-, medium- and long-term options will be
offered to the UN membership for further action.
- Canadian expertise at international service: We will continue to offer the broad
range of Canadian expertise upon which the UN and other international organizations
have learned they can rely. A list of eminent Canadians has been submitted to the
Secretary-General for use in preventive diplomacy missions. Our military personnel will
continue, within our means, to be available at international headquarters and in the
field to support and direct multilateral peace operations. Our internationally praised
police will continue to be called upon to participate in, and to sometimes lead, critical
monitoring and training operations, such as in Haiti today. Many Canadian civilians will
continue working around the globe in support of peace at the service of the UN,
Canada, international organizations and NGOs.
- Training: With UN peace operations' mandates ever-more complex and
dangerous, training of participating personnel is essential. Many countries new to
these operations offer personnel but require training that cannot be arranged at home.
By virtue of its unrivalled experience in peacekeeping, Canada is well placed to provide
this training for international personnel, civilian and military alike, at the new
Government-supported Lester B. Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia.
- Helping the UN to share the burden: Given the number of conflicts world- wide
and the UN's limited resources, partners need to be found to help the UN carry the
burden of peacekeeping and peace enforcement. In Bosnia, the UN had to rely on
NATO to support its objectives and operations. This partnership is an important one,
given the need for the UN and regional organizations to cooperate with each other to
make best use of their respective strengths and capabilities. Nevertheless, differences
in the command and control procedures of the two organizations, and even in their
institutional cultures, have at times produced strains between them. We intend to
encourage clearer definition and acceptance of the appropriate roles of the UN and of
regional bodies such as NATO in relation to peacekeeping missions.
We will also be working to expand the capacity of other regional organizations,
such as the OAU, and possibly sub-regional bodies, to relieve some of the pressure on
the UN. We will seek to build on the comparative advantages of these organizations at
a time when the UN is seriously over-stretched.
Regional security: Canada is fully engaged.
- Western Hemisphere
- United States: Our defence relationship with the US is key for the security of
Canadians. Canada's longstanding cooperation with the US through the Permanent
Joint Board on Defence and NORAD has enabled us to share the security burden for
North America at a significantly lower cost and with more effectiveness than Canada
could achieve on its own. We look forward to working with the US towards the renewal
of the NORAD Agreement, which expires in 1996.
- Arctic: The focus in the Canadian Arctic is increasingly on non-traditional
security threats. Canada's recent appointment of an Ambassador for Circumpolar
Affairs will increase the focus on such threats. Our goal is to create an Arctic Council
to meet the challenge of sustainable development in the North and to deal with the
critical issues faced by all Arctic countries.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Canada's growing interests in Latin America
and the Caribbean argue for greater priority to the region's stability within Canadian
security policy. We are encouraged by the spread of democracy, the increased
emphasis on balanced economic development, and the ongoing trend to reform the
OAS. Canada intends to make a significant contribution to regional approaches to
security in our hemisphere. Our focus will be on promoting the development of
frameworks, from fact-finding to negotiation, to enable countries to deal bilaterally and
regionally with potential security problems. We will work to strengthen the capacity of
the OAS to address security issues.
- Europe
- Continuing engagement: European stability continues to be a major priority.
Although threats to it are in flux, too much binds the peoples on the two sides of the
Atlantic for our commitment to waver. We share most closely a set of values. Our
economic, cultural and human links continue to be intense and vibrant; our
engagement in the international system is based on shared objectives. The constancy
of our commitment is firm, as attested to by our contributions to NATO, the OSCE, and
to UN peacekeeping within the European continent. The Government will pursue this
relationship, including through high-level meetings with the European Union
Presidency. We will, as well, continue to devote priority attention to key transatlantic
bilateral relationships, as we have done with France, Germany, Italy and the United
Kingdom over the past year.
- NATO: NATO remains critical to maintaining stability at a time of fundamental
change in Europe. However, it will have to evolve. The threat it was built to meet has
receded, while new challenges have emerged, such as those in the former Yugoslavia.
To meet those challenges, Canada will press for an evolution in NATO's vocation and
membership, while seeking to allay current Russian concerns over NATO expansion.
- OSCE: This organization deserves attention and effort from Canada, in part
because it engages Europe - and particularly Russia - in security discussions with a
broader focus than military cooperation alone. The OSCE still needs to prove its
capacity to help provide stability in the region, and will only do so if all its members give
it priority as a pan-European institution. Canada will continue to contribute to building
up this organization for regional cooperation, for example, by contributing a planning
unit to the proposed OSCE peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Central and Eastern Europe: The emergence of the new democracies of Central
and Eastern Europe will continue to be a focus of concern for Canadians, many of
whom have links to the region. We will contribute to European security through our
membership in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and through
the Program of Assistance to Central and Eastern Europe, a uniquely Canadian
approach to helping build pluralism, free media, the rule of law, good governance,
respect for human rights and free markets and environmentally sound practices in the
new and fragile democracies that rose from the ruins of the Soviet empire.
- Asia-Pacific
- Challenges and progress: There are serious security challenges in the region
including unresolved border disputes, human rights abuses, an increase in weapons
acquisitions, ecological degradation, population growth, and narcotics trafficking. Our
security interests are reflected in both a new institution - the ASEAN (Association of
South-East Asian Nations) Regional Forum (ARF) - and in more diverse governmental
and non-governmental vehicles. We are also expanding our political and security
dialogue with Japan, South Korea and ASEAN countries, and promoting the integration
within the region of Vietnam and China.
- Middle East
- More peaceful, but tensions remain: Despite progress in recent years towards a
resolution of the Arab/Israeli conflict, the Middle East remains one of the world's major
security fault lines. It is also an area that carries serious risks of proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction. Multilaterally, the region is critical to the UN's security agenda.
Our focus in the Middle East will be on encouraging, facilitating and developing
confidence-building regimes that can advance the cause of peace and development in
the region. Our participation in the multilateral phase of the Middle East Peace
Process, particularly our lead role in the Working Group on Refugees, provides us with
an opportunity to serve the cause of peace and underscore our longstanding
commitment to regional stability and progress.
- Africa
- Building a framework for peace: While progress has been made towards political
and economic reform in Africa, much of the continent continues to be marked by
instability and conflict. For institutions such as the OAU, even where the political will
exists, a lack of resources often poses problems. The road to stable, representative,
democratic governments will be a long one for many countries, and the international
community will have to give attention to the most effective mix of policy instruments to
influence change.
As part of this effort, Canadian policy will focus on working with key African
countries to develop international and regional frameworks that can anticipate and
prevent conflict, and on addressing those factors such as environmental degradation,
population growth and poverty that undermine common security on the continent. We
are also promoting greater respect for human rights and for democracy through
organizations such as the Francophonie and the Commonwealth.
Nuclear non-proliferation and arms control are more important than ever.
- Nuclear Weapons
- Nuclear weapons still threaten us: The disposal of nuclear weapons in the
former Soviet Union and nuclear proliferation threats elsewhere, notably North Korea,
South Asia and the Middle East, will continue to preoccupy the international
community, and will require concerted efforts to prevent new sources of potentially
catastrophic conflict. The threat of criminal or terrorist organizations coming into
possession of nuclear materials, either through sale or theft, is a growing concern that
must be addressed.
- Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT): Our highest priority is to secure
international agreement to indefinitely and unconditionally extend the NPT, the most
effective international instrument for stopping nuclear proliferation. As part of this effort,
we are committed to strengthening the capacity of the International Atomic Energy
Agency to effectively safeguard civilian nuclear systems.
There has been highly unfortunate North-South polarization in the NPT
extension debate, based in part on the argument of some that the Treaty benefits
"haves" at the expense of "have-nots." Canada will continue to emphasize that the
Treaty creates security. All win: the security gains of one party are not the losses of
another. We will continue to reach out to all parties, encouraging moderation and
pragmatism in the review of Treaty implementation and extension, while pressing for
continued nuclear disarmament.
- Other Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Chemical and biological weapons: Effective, coordinated international action will
also be required to counter the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons of
mass destruction. The current international treaties in these areas are helpful, but more
research on verification systems is required. Canada is working with other countries to
develop effective measures on verification. We will also work to curb exports of
weapons and delivery systems of mass destruction and of the materials to build them.
- Conventional Weapons
- Strengthening controls: A pressing problem is the excessive accumulation of
conventional armaments by many states. The widespread and indiscriminate use of
landmines, with attendant horrors for innocent civilians, is a serious challenge,
especially in insurgencies. We are working with other countries to strengthen the
relevant international convention. We continue to attach great importance to the UN
Conventional Arms Registry, and will press other UN member states to make use of it.
Canadian leadership in this area is demonstrated by our controls on the export of
military goods, which are among the most restrictive of Western countries. These
controls deny export permits when, among other reasons, the goods are destined to a
country where they may be used to abuse human rights or where there are actual or
imminent hostilities. We are also studying ways that conventional weapons proliferation
can be addressed more effectively by the international community.
- Arms and Development
- Encouraging more productive spending: The Government is concerned over the
continued imbalance in much of the developing world between spending on armaments
and spending on human development, and will continue to use all means at our
disposal to promote the call in the UN Charter's Article 26 for "the least diversion for
armaments of the world's human and economic resources," especially in developing
countries where scarce resources are so urgently needed to relieve suffering and to
promote employment and growth. In particular, Canada will seek concerted action with
others to influence governments which spend large sums on arms rather than on
education and housing for their people. To that end, the Government will offer support
for demobilization of military personnel, as well as training for civilian roles such as
police activities, in order to assist societies which are committed to reducing military
spending and reconstructing civil society.
Canada in the World Main Page
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