“I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little further down our particular path than we have gone ourselves.”

- E.M. Forster

For years, I was immoveable from the often-recycled and uninspiring political and academic discourse that attempted to encapsulate what Canada’s role was in the world.

The experts continuously spoke.  I listened and read closely.

Supposedly, we were a middle power with a big, dominating, and unforgiving brother next door.

Supposedly, we were the envied nation, the moral compass of the modern world.

Supposedly, we were a large country (geographically speaking) with a

small population, but managed to always “punch above our weight.”

And, supposedly, we all still wore blue berets.

In classrooms, on the news, in textbooks, and in the general dialogue of the nation, the analysis was (and sometimes still is) predictably static and stale.

Then, it all seemed to change for me.  I finally read a book of influence.

From the moment I finished the last page of Jennifer Welsh’s “At Home in the World: Canada’s Global Vision for the 21st Century”, I felt a sense of relief and optimism.

Someone finally had the courage to challenge conventional thinking and pose candid questions to a nation obsessed with simply remembering better days.

So, allow me to borrow some of Welsh’s penned ideas as I attempt to illustrate, albeit briefly, the role I believe my Canada should be playing in the world.

 

 

My Canada is a much more humble Canada, one that is comfortable being a “model citizen” (not the model citizen) of the world.

We no longer (and it is questionable to even think we ever did) hold a monopoly on moral authourity in international relations. For too long, Canada has had the tendency to rely on its soft power status and this is no longer sufficient if we are going to continue to compete in a rapidly changing and increasingly unfriendly world.

I envision a Canada that has the capacity and patience to navigate and balance conflicting concepts such as security and liberty.  It is a Canada that is responsible and mature, and while other western democracies struggle with integrating differences and people, Canada openly and proudly defends the concept of pluralism.

In the international corridors of power, my Canada exercises muscular diplomacy.

It is a country with a significant voice, pregnant with an enlightened and a more reformist vision of what our world can become.

We can begin by being confident enough to highlight the flaws within international institutions like the United Nations, and contributing to making them more just, effective, and accountable to the people they are supposed to represent.

Doing this would require, first and foremost, an admission that an international organization anchored on the belief that five states are justified in making decisions that effect the rest of the world, is not an adequate way to lead.

I also believe in a Canada that works with (instead of simply relying on) the United States to defend itself and others.  It is a Canada that recognizes the need to do more than just talk, yet is unflinching in its criticism towards countries that wage unnecessary and illegal wars.

My Canada defends democratic principles and human rights both abroad and at home.

Canada should be at the forefront of the struggle for freedom and democracy.   It should be providing assistance to other nations who are undergoing difficult transitions from tyrannical forms of government to a system that attempts to marry fundamental principles of democracy with local customs and realities.

It is a Canada that tells its people that it is okay to become a citizen without borders.  This Canada consists of a well-travelled citizenry with a collection of global experiences and stories.

It is a Canada that is also reflective, compassionate, and in solidarity with its brothers and sisters all around the world.

It is also a smart nation.  One that understands that hope and social justice can be achieved if we promote and allow for better access to education and higher learning.  It is a country that puts faith in the idea that trading in guns for textbooks in other regions of the world, is a feasible and courageous way forward.

Admittedly, my Canada is a work in progress.  And at times, including at the present moment, it may even seem to be on a regressive course of action.

But, I have yet to lose hope, because as the eldest son of a young immigrant family who willingly chose Canada as their home, I have learned a thing or two about resilience.

And so too have generations upon generations of Canadians, most of whom either fled, escaped, or left a painful history behind and aspired to help build a more humane place and future.

 

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Paulo Senra

B.A., M.A. International Relations | creator and writer for Paulotics.com

 

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