Canada wants to give itself the means to regain its influence on the international scene by transforming the way it conducts its diplomacy in the world. To do this, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly presented to the working group meeting in Ottawa last week a working document which is the result of an internal review of the functioning of the three components of Global Affairs Canada. : Department of Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs, International Trade and International Development.

After a year of consultation and reflection, those in charge produced a high-quality document whose recommendations will be implemented over the next three years. These recommendations revolve around four areas of action: acquiring new policy expertise; increase the country’s presence abroad; investing in people; and finally, improving the tools, processes and culture necessary to carry out the mandates of Canadian diplomacy. The reader will have understood that this document is not a statement of foreign policy, but rather a guide to its application.

Over the past few years, I have often pointed out in these pages and elsewhere how Canadian diplomacy has become a business run by effective leaders rather than a box where diplomats generate ideas for improving international relations. Both actions are necessary for active diplomacy, but the first has clearly taken precedence over the second. The document apologizes for this situation: “We have read some employees in particular [ceux] with deep expertise in specific geographies and domains, have felt increasingly disadvantaged over time, including in promotion processes, where the focus has been on leadership skills rather than leadership. expertise […]. »

The result of this leadership campaign was not long in coming. The last time Canada made its mark on the international scene was in 1996-2000 thanks to the spectacular diplomatic initiatives of Lloyd Axworthy, one of our great foreign ministers and a brilliant group of diplomats.

The government wants to remedy this situation by investing in better internal training, by favoring the most creative, by encouraging the spirit of initiative and risk, by recruiting more specialists and by offering better personal and professional supervision. But reversing a trend favored for twenty years will require time and constant monitoring. Departmental officials must ensure that thinkers rise to the top as quickly as leaders if they are to create a critical mass of advisors who can explain to their political masters the best choices for Canadian diplomacy.

“Diplomacy is about influence,” the document says, and much of that influence is exercised through presence on the ground. In this area, the findings established in the working document are overwhelming for a G7 country. We clearly do not live up to our claim to play a role on the international stage. Canada has 178 missions (embassies and consulates) in 110 countries, 40 of which are concentrated in 4 countries: the United States, China, India and Mexico. This mechanism has been stable for twenty years, while the competition between large and medium powers to influence international affairs has never been so intense. Thus, South Korea is present in 191 countries, Germany in 153, Turkey in 136 and little Norway, with its four million inhabitants, in 81.

The situation is no better in international organizations. The number of employees in Canada’s representation to the United Nations is now one of the lowest among G7 partners and competitors, with 25 employees compared to 60 to 150 employees for the other six G7 members: Germany, Italy , United States, France, Japan and the Kingdom of the United States. The working document contains some recommendations for increasing the Canadian presence, but it does not set any targets aimed at getting closer to the system deployed by our allies. The lack of human resources could have a direct impact on Canada’s ability to campaign well for a seat in major international forums, such as the Security Council.

The initiative to transform the practice of Canadian diplomacy is a first step in restoring the country’s credentials. However, it cannot simply be an administrative exercise designed to tighten the screws, paint the walls or connect our diplomats to the latest and most modern technology. It must be accompanied by ideas on the importance to be given to Canada’s action on the international scene. The publication last year of the Indo-Pacific Strategy went in this direction for this region of the world. Much remains to be done for the other regions.

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