2004
Lloyd
Axworthy Speaks on Global Citizenship
Former
Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy delivered
the 2004 Davidson Lecture for the Centre for Canadian Studies.
Dr. Axworthy
has had a distinguished career in Canadian politics, spanning 27 years.
He has held several other Cabinet positions, including: Minister of
Employment and Immigration, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women,
Minister of Transport, of Human Resources Development, of Western Economic
Diversification and was most recently Director and CEO of the Liu Institute
for Global Issues. He is now President at the University of Saskatchewan.
With his
experience as Director of the Lui Centre, an organization concerned
with global issues and involved in various humanitarian and peace initiatives,
Axworthy chose to speak on “Global Citizenship” He described
a variety of global factors that strongly and negatively affect international
security and jeopardize world peace. These factors operate outside the
realm of national government policies or UN resolutions and represent
a phenomenon he refers to as the “underworld of globalism”
which includes international terrorists, drug dealers, small arms traders,
illegal diamond merchants and people smugglers who become multi-billion
dollar businesses using the same technology as legitimate global enterprises
but produce devastating consequences such as drug addiction, Aids, landmines
and arms supplied to terrorists and revolutionary armies, thus altering
the stability of governments and societies.
Dr. Axworthy
encourages us to think in terms of citizenship in a global community,
invoking the ancient concept of Civitas, the forerunner of Marshal McLuahan’s
Global Village. In order to combat these threats to the security of
innocent people, Axworthy tells us we must re-organize ourselves by
re-arranging relationships between ourselves and other international
players with efforts focussed around issues such as landmines removal,
child soldiers and prostitution, refugee relief, and health issues such
as internationally funded AIDS hospitals, staffed by doctors from around
the world, thus forming a third alternative to on one side, warlords
and predators, and on the other, the will of the world’s most
powerful state and its definition of a secure and peaceful world. He
feels that Canadians have a lot to offer and suggests ways that we can
contribute outside the bounds of government policy.
Axworthy
sees an active role for Canada in promoting disarmament, international
collaboration, institutions based on the rule of law, the Kyoto Protocol,
the International Criminal Court. He offers an alternative to the conventional
wisdom of “might makes right” calling for human security
focussing on the protection of people, not the defence of nations states.
“Human security includes security against economic privatization,
an acceptable quality of life, and a guarantee of fundamental human
rights. It recognizes the links between environmental degradation and
population growth.” Axworthy urges that this principle of responsibility-to-protect
must become the basic mandate of the UN.
Axworthy
feels that to not finance diplomatic and trade services in OAS countries,
Central Asia, China and sub-Sahara Africa reduces our ability to be
an effective global player. Canadians doing business abroad could go
beyond the objective of trade promotion by, for example, helping private
players reduce the risk from corruption, criminality and strife; ensuring
that their involvement in a country meets acceptable environmental and
social standards. Foreign investors who do business in a socially responsible
way, training workers and providing health care, build public trust
and set a high standard for corporate global citizenship.
A very
crucial issue is that we need to more carefully plan our security spending,
increasing our budget to improve capacity for peacemaking, disaster
missions, demining, military training for emerging democracies, and
service in international missions. “We need to adapt to the changing
nature of global conflict and security issues, acting in concert with
other nations in cooperative missions and untie some of the strings
that bind us to US military systems and strategy.”
Axworthy
believes that using democratic practices and following human security
principles are the best means of confronting and controlling the global
underworld and that Canadians can help make a difference.
Since
leaving politics in the fall of 2000, Dr. Axworthy has been the recipient
of various prestigious awards and honours including his nomination for
the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership on landmines and was named
an Officer to the Order of Canada. At a reception following the talk,
Dr. Axworthy signed copies of his latest book entitled Navigating a
New World: Canada’s Global Future.
Lloyd Axworthy with Mt. A Students
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Professor
Thaddeus Holownia delivered the second annual George Stanley Lecture in
Canadian Studies on January 28th in the Owens Art Gallery, during which
he took a standing room only audience on a visual trip of his Walden Pond
works. The George Stanley lecture series was initiated last year in honour
of Dr. Stanley who was the first director of Mount Allison's Centre for
Canadian Studies and former Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.
Dr.
Ged Martin, retired Professor and Chair of Canadian Studies at the University
of Edinburgh visited Mount Allison in October to speak on John A. Macdonald.
Many Canadians have heard tales of Macdonald as a heavy drinker. For
some, their perception of the country he helped to build is affected
by the notion that Canada was created in a drunken haze. How serious
was Sir John A's problem with the bottle? Ged Martin argues that for
about 15 years, from about l861 to around 1876, there were times when
he drank more than was good for him–and his political career was
indeed affected. But, Martin contends, even if we regard him as a man
with a drinking problem, there is still good reason to prefer ‘John
a drunk' to anyone else sober.