Whatever the outcome of Canada’s Security Council bid, robust mechanisms for sustained, substantive civil society engagement are an indispensable part of enhancing Canadian capacity for UN leadership on peace and security.
As the Trump administration turns its back on the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, we call on the Government of Canada to redouble its support for the stigmatization any use of these indiscriminate weapons and to increase its funding for vital demining activities.
We call on the Government of Canada to hold consultations with civil society on a new independent centre for international peace and security. It is urgently needed to counter think tank policy advice backed by defence industry funding.
For a timely discussion of key foreign policy challenges facing Canada in 2020, see Diplomatic Dispatch – Episode 7: Rebuilding Canada’s global leadership by journalist Levon Sevunts, wherein he interviews Rideau Institute President Peggy Mason. This 22-minute interview took place following her participation as a panelist in the inaugural Summit on Canada’s Global Leadership. Click here for the full podcast.
Resumption of the Liberal minority Parliament on 27 January offers a golden opportunity for the Prime Minister and his government to build a progressive coalition in favour of tougher gun regulations, resumption of diplomatic relations with Iran and an export control policy that strengthens human rights and international law.
Crisis Group urges Europeans to mitigate Iranian economic hardship and promote regional security dialogue. Meanwhile, both the U.S. and Canada need to rethink their military roles in Iraq.