Axworthy: Canada needs a peace agenda
With Allan Rock, Lloyd Axworthy calls for a human security plan
The Carney government has made its choice: Canada will spend big on defence.
But former Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy and ex-UN Ambassador Allan Rock are asking an uncomfortable question: is that all we've got?
In a recent op-ed in the Toronto Star, the two veterans of Canada’s internationalist golden age argue that military spending without a human security agenda is not just incomplete — it’s a strategic mistake.
Committing to NATO’s new targets means hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade flowing into ships, jets, missiles and radar systems.
Security, they write, must also be measured in “wars prevented, civilians protected, famines averted, arms flows interrupted and peace processes sustained.” By that standard, Canada’s current policy is falling short.
Sudan: A crisis Canada is failing
The authors point to Sudan as the defining test. The ongoing civil war — described by journalist Anne Applebaum as “the most nihilistic conflict on Earth” — has produced the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, marked by famine, mass displacement, sexual violence and the deliberate obstruction of aid. Ottawa has acknowledged all of this. It has called for an end to the violence and accountability for atrocities. And then, largely, it has moved on.
Axworthy and Rock argue that’s not good enough. They call for a senior Canadian envoy for Sudan, a sustained diplomatic push at the UN, and concrete support for an African-led peace process that centres Sudanese civil society and women mediators. These are not radical asks. They are the kinds of things Canada used to do — and has quietly stopped doing.
As PeaceQuest readers will know, we have pointed out that the “fatal flaw” of Prime Minister Carney’s plan to create a massive defence industry in Canada is that when the government contracts run out, foreign arms sales inevitably follow. Sometimes those weapons end up in terrible wars far from home.
In April, Axworthy and Rock said they expressed “deep concern” about the federal government’s decision not to pass legislation aimed at closing what they consider a regulatory gap in arms exports.
An NDP private member’s bill meant to treat arms exports from Canada to the United States with the same degree of scrutiny as other countries under the Arms Trade Treaty was defeated by the government (even though more than a dozen Liberals broke ranks to vote in favour).
“Canada’s bilateral relationship with the United States is long-standing and vital, but our responsibilities under international law are our own. No alliance exempts us from our duty to ensure that Canadian weapons or components do not contribute to gross violations of international humanitarian or human rights law. Transparency and parliamentary oversight strengthen sovereignty — they do not weaken it.”
Axworthy and Rock argue that Canada needs a human security agenda alongside its military renewal.
“If Canada is going to spend hundreds of billions of dollars rebuilding its military, it should also rebuild the diplomatic and humanitarian capacity that helps prevent conflicts from becoming catastrophic in the first place,” they write.
“In short, Canada needs both a robust defence capability and a credible and effective peace agenda.”
If you found this interesting or informative, please like or share.
Leave a comment to explain your vote (paid subscribers)
Last week’s poll results
Last week we looked at the thorny issue of Alberta’s referendum, and I asked you, “How should PM Carney handle Alberta separatism?” I contrasted Carney’s realpolitik approach of Alberta appeasement on oil pipelines, with demands that Carney not abandon his principles on protecting the climate.
It’s a tough question, so I gave you a few options to chose from. The most frequently chosen answer was, “Stick to his climate principles” (53%), followed by, “Confront U.S. interference” (25%). A smaller number chose, “Oppose separatists strongly” (11%).
Reader’s comments
“Carney is working hand in hand with US and international corporate interests… Foreign corporate interference should be exposed not aided.” – S. Wilke
“Foreign interference… can undermine Canadian sovereignty, divide communities, reduce trust in the country’s institutions and put Canadian rights and freedoms at risk.” – M. Larocque
