The G 78 by Hugo Dobson

Author:Hugo Dobson [Dobson, Hugo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Globalization, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781134199815
Google: -Z9-AgAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 17481289
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2006-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Canada

Canada is a country with a long tradition of multilateralism in its foreign policy. One summit-watcher has captured this tradition in relation to the G8 by paraphrasing Voltaire: “[i]f the G8 did not exist, the Canadians would undoubtedly want to invent it. That is how important the G8 is to Canada’s international role.”42 However, Canada is not an original summit member. Its participation at the first Rambouillet Summit was discussed but ultimately rejected although Japan played the role of reporting back to the Canadian government after the summit on the major discussions. Only after overcoming considerable French opposition and with the goal of creating transatlantic balance was Canada invited to the summit table in 1976. In 1986, Canada (along with Italy) joined the meetings of the G7 finance ministers that replaced the G5. As for Italy and Japan, membership of the G8 accords Canada great power status that it is denied elsewhere.

Between 1975 and 2005, Canada was represented by six prime ministers, with Jean Chrétien establishing himself as the longestserving summiteer with ten consecutive summits. Canada’s participation is rather similar to that of the UK, also in the fact that Canada is the only other summit member to have been represented by a woman, Kim Campbell, during the period.

Canada’s level of compliance with summit pledges is high and always has been. From 1975 to 1989, Canada was the second most compliant summit member with a rate of 40.9 per cent, just behind the UK. More recently, from 1996 to 2001, its compliance has risen to 53 per cent and it has maintained its second position.43

The four summits it has hosted have been above average with a C, C-, B+, and B+ having been awarded by summit-grader Nicholas Bayne, averaging out at a B- (see Box 1.2). This fits Chrétien’s assessment that “Canada can further its global interests better than any other country through its active membership in key international groupings, for example hosting the G7 Summit.”44 Canada has worked to ensure the success of the summit – the first summit it hosted in 1981 at Ottawa resulted in the creation of the Quad – and has acted independently of its hegemonic neighbour, the US, by responding independently or building coalitions with its European and Japanese counterparts. In addition, the Canadian government has displayed little resistance to the expansion of the summit agenda into new issueareas. In fact, before the terrorist attacks of 9/11 shifted the focus of the 2002 Kananaskis Summit to terrorism, this had been billed as the “education summit.” Equally, environmental and development issues have been placed on the agenda by Canada.

Canada was particularly eager to reform the summit process and return it to its original intention. These efforts came clearly into relief at the 1995 Halifax Summit and Kananaskis. At Halifax, the venue was shifted away from a major city. At Kananaskis, the length of the summit was reduced to two days, as it had been in the early days of the summit and the atmosphere created in Canadian Rockies miles from the media and civil society was one of relaxed informality.

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