Generally speaking, Canadians are proud of being a courteous and helpful people, almost to a fault. We are taught that we’re a cultural mosaic, accepting of everyone in a spirit of inclusiveness. For much of our history we have taken these qualities and built an international reputation as one of the “good” countries, a people and place to call upon when times are tough. Nations trust that the Canucks will show up when needed. Most of us still hang onto that image. It’s a nice thought. But in a post-9/11 world has Canada’s standing as a respected global citizen diminished? Do other nations still view us as the knight in shining armour we believe ourselves to be? The answer is yes…and no.

On a macro scale, there’s no doubt that Canada has a great political-economic presence on the world stage. We’re deeply involved and committed to numerous institutions, such as the Group of 7 (G-7), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Organization of American States (OAS), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), to name a few. Yet, while millions of dollars (and thousands of diplomats) flow from Canada through these organizations to the developing world, does our presence make a difference? The answer depends on whom you speak to. Politicians say one thing. Front-line volunteers and NGOs say something else.

Today we hear what some of the front-liners and non-affiliated groups are saying about Canada’s role. In part two, we’ll listen to the government organizations, politicians, and diplomats who represent Canada to the world.

The good, the bad and the ugly

The North-South Institute (NSI) is an independent, nonprofit research organization dedicated to the study of Canada’s relations with developing countries. John W. Foster, principal researcher for civil society/governance at the NSI, has studied Canada’s international role closely and found that we’ve got a mixed reputation. “There are countries where we have a good reputation and those where we are seen as part of a U.S. or ‘western’ exercise of power and influence,” he says. “This is true militarily. It is also true in investment, trade, and intellectual property negotiations.” Still, it’s not all bad. Recently, the NSI commissioned studies in three instances of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) program for poverty relief and social justice in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and we did okay. “Generally speaking, the reviews of our development assistance programs were reasonably positive,” explains Foster. And there is more praise.

“Canada has lined up with other G-7 countries on some debt relief for heavily indebted countries,” he says. “We have taken leadership at the U.N. in advancing both the human security concept and the responsibility to protect in terms avoiding and getting at the roots of conflict.” It all sounds good until Foster shines a light on what he thinks are Canada’s major failings, citing our reduced emphasis on U.N. peace missions and an increased participation in NATO and military operations in Afghanistan and other military theatres. According to Foster, there has also been a major lapse in hitting our declared aid targets.

“Canada has not committed itself to specific timelines for reaching the long-standing target of 0.7% of GDP in official development assistance. This is tragic,” he says. “People from Stephen Lewis to Bono have pressured [Prime Minister Paul] Martin and [Finance Minister Ralph] Goodale to act. They have made huge commitments to defense, but more limited commitments to aid.” While Foster believes some of Canada’s aid policies are deficient, many believe Canada continues to lead the way in the provision of another aspect of international aid: charities and individual volunteerism.

Wearing the maple leaf with pride

Greg Kemp is a prime example of a Canadian aid export. As an organizational development consultant based in Vancouver, Kemp works with NGOs in Canada, the U.S. and Central America, with a particular focus on Honduras. He provides free counsel to help them become more effective for the communities they serve. Kemp’s front-line dedication may be hard to quantify, but it’s the type of initiative that keeps Canada’s reputation looking good. “A few months ago we saw some volunteers from Seattle. They had sewn Canadian flags on their backpacks. We do still have a very good reputation abroad… [and we] aren’t really seen as lining up too closely with the U.S., which has a really bad reputation,” he says.

Kemp believes that if Canadians became more globally aware there’d be an even greater upsurge of individual support to developing nations. “Think about what’s happening in your own locale, but also what’s happening in your hemisphere,” he says. “For example, people don’t know that 50,000 people a year die from dysentery in Honduras. That’s not a great distance from where we are right here. There are many avenues where people can offer their services. Volunteerism is on the rise in Canada. This is building an invisible, cultural force that will benefit the country greatly.” Others are seeing the same pattern.

Realigning philanthropy

Patrick Johnston, president and CEO of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, recognizes the need to increase funding to those Canadians trying to make a difference in the world. Under Johnston, the foundation, which is dedicated to fostering sound public policy, recently added a new grantmaking portfolio: global citizenship. “We decided to focus on global citizenship because we thought there were a host of interesting initiatives being undertaken by Canadians that needed to be celebrated and supported more by philanthropic communities,” he says. The foundation made its decision after contemplating alternate ways in which Canada contributes on the global stage.

“We came to understand that the way in which Canada exercises its responsibility on the world is not simply what the federal government does through foreign affairs or CIDA,” says Johnston. “It is equally the case that individual Canadians are incredibly engaged on the world stage…whether it’s through civil society organizations (CSOs) or through multilateral institutions like the U.N. We think that’s an important aspect of the role that Canada plays on the global stage. So we wanted to focus more on [that] as opposed to what governments were doing or not doing.” The foundation has plans to allot one million dollars for its global citizenship program and has already funded organizations like Journalists for Human Rights, Free the Children, and Friends of The Earth Canada. But even if individual Canadian aid initiatives are on the rise, the fact remains that the government makes official policy and will always play a major part in providing international aid.

Calling government to task

Back at the NSI, Foster has some specific ideas on what the government needs to do to increase Canada’s global citizenship role and really live up to its international aid potential. “Canada should develop a strategy in collaboration with CSOs, including aid NGOs, anti-poverty, labour, environment and various international communities,” he insists. “[Canada] should establish an ongoing practice of the involvement of civil society in the preparation and participation of delegations in international forums and negotiations [and] approach all this in an explicit human rights policy context.” It’s a grand vision, but does the government agree? Check back here in three weeks for the government’s perspective.

Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf is a freelance writer living in Toronto. He can be reached at aajzenkopf@yahoo.com.