One of least boring academic conferences I've ever attended wrapped up yesterday -- "Canada in the World," hosted by the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. This was the first Canadian foreign-policy focused conference I've attended, and it did not disappoint.
I have two observations to report.
The first is that that there is near-unanimity in the foreign policy establishment that the decision of the Martin government to split International Trade from Foreign Affairs is totally dumb. Almost every panelist covering the entire political spectrum -- even Raymond Chretien, the ex-PM's nephew and our former ambassador to Washington -- was critical of the move.
The second is the deep division within that same establishment on where Canada should be going with its foreign and trade policy. Everyone agreed that the status quo is not an option, but there are two distinct camps on how to proceed. One believes the future is in more north-south integration with the Americans, including freer trade, common border patrol and harmonized regulatorary regimes. The other group is advocating less "reliance" (I hate that term) on the Americans and a closer alliance with the EU and European states, including more bilateral trade agreements. We shall see where the Martin government wants to go when it finally releases its long-overdue foreign policy review.
If you're really interested in this debate, check out the new edition of IRPP's Policy Options, the best issue of that magazine I've seen. It was handed out at the conference, and offers good insights into the current debate. Allan Gotlieb's piece is particularly worthwhile. (Despite its stuffy-sounding title, "Romanticism and realism in Canada's foreign policy," the article is actually quite a light read.)
For more on the conference check out Paul Wells, who also attended.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:40 AM
