Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
David McKinnon is a former diplomat who is currently a senior fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
The days when foreign policy was an afterthought, subordinate to domestic politics, are over.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Canada had its own “end of history”: comforting illusions of a stable international order (with Canada near the centre) and ever widening free trade. The fall of the Soviet Union and seemingly permanent unfettered access to the United States made us assume that prosperity was inevitable and our security guaranteed. This has ended. Today’s global environment is volatile, competitive and unpredictable. Effective diplomacy and national security are now existential.
For Canada to navigate this disorder, our international engagement needs to be at the centre of policy and public discourse. We can no longer outsource our prosperity and security to global systems or allies or think that our seat at high tables like the Group of Seven is inevitable (or, indeed, that the G7 retains the relevance it had). The burden is now ours, guided by interests, values and a renewed sense of identity and common purpose.
Values such as democracy, pluralism and the rule of law remain vital. But values alone cannot build serious foreign policy. Too often, Canada has treated values as ends in themselves rather than as elements of prosperous and successful societies. We need to pursue our interests, including those rooted in our values, if we are to turn ideals into influence.
Anand insists Canada is mulling options with allies for ceasefire in Gaza and more aid
Effective diplomacy requires coherent priorities and expertise backed by serious investment. At its core, diplomacy is deeply personal, built on trust and sustained relationships. A modern, properly trained and resourced foreign service is central to this, but it has not been a priority for Canada in decades. It demands creativity and deep understanding, especially of those whose outlooks differ from our own.
We need diplomats with expertise: people who understand the world through lived experience, grasp the histories, speak the languages, and can interpret the motivations of other states (and explain Canada to them). An effective foreign and trade ministry is not cheap, but it is a cost-effective complement to defence and development spending to build influence.
While it is essential that we deepen our understanding of large emerging or resurgent powers such as India and China, we should not neglect smaller states. Relationships with them can be pivotal, especially if Canada aspires to global relevance. Likewise, while we have long prioritized multilateralism, effective bilateral relationships are the building blocks of global success. Our capacity to navigate a complex web of ties – from Washington to Colombo – can amplify our voice on the world stage.
AI can transform diplomacy, but the benefit will come only if we know what our diplomacy needs to achieve. We need to be informed users of these tools and resist the temptation to outsource our knowledge and understanding to algorithms.
Effective diplomacy requires tending the diplomatic garden, as U.S. statesman George Shultz once put it. You cannot wait until you need a favour to invest in a relationship, and attention to smaller relationships can pay off.
Carney defends decision to invite Indian PM to G7 summit in Alberta
This approach must go beyond government. Our foreign policy ecosystem needs to be enriched by business leaders, academics, think tanks, civil society and media with international insight. There has been some progress in developing this capacity, but the coverage and commentary when the murder of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar hit the headlines showed how limited our historical and geostrategic understanding can be. We need a deeper bench of people who know the world and our own history.
Inside Global Affairs Canada, the culture must change. Over-management stifles initiative, and diplomacy suffers when entrepreneurial thinking is suppressed. Diplomats need to be able to ask hard questions, take risks, and admit when things do not go as planned. A culture that insists everything is a success leaves no room for learning from its failures. Global Affairs’ latest “transformation” exercise, started in 2023, is working to bring some cohesion and modernity to a deeply siloed organization. It seems, however, heavy on process and values, while avoiding substantive action on more fundamental problems including structure, human resources and communications.
Finally, Canada needs a serious foreign policy review, one that goes well beyond Ottawa and engages Canadians, including those who do not always agree with prevailing assumptions; this should be completed in months, not years. A credible and enduring foreign policy must reflect who we are, what we care about, and what we stand for. It requires leadership to develop and pursue but cannot simply be imposed from above.
We are at a crossroads. In a world of fractured power and rising disorder, Canada cannot drift. We need to be clear-eyed, confident and committed. The opportunity to redefine our place in the world is here. Let’s not waste it.