Destined to Fail: The Problem with Canadian Diplomacy

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Shielded from physical geopolitical threats by a vast geography and an immensely powerful southern neighbour that has long pledged protection, Canada has spent decades ignoring its defence apparatuses. The result has been a woefully underfunded military, weaker foreign policy initiatives and chaotic diplomacy. Canada needs to recognize the changing climate of geopolitics and adjust its defence posture accordingly. Canadian federal security agencies from the RCMP to the Global Affairs Office have fallen asleep at the wheel. At a time when various, often complex security challenges peril much of the world, Canada needs to be clear about its diplomatic goals, take concrete steps to achieve them, and ensure the proper management of resources.

In 2023, The Globe and Mail published an article that explored the unfolding controversy between the notorious Two Michaels and the federal government. Allegedly, one Michael Kovrig felt that the other Michael - Michael Spavor - along with the federal government, duped him into espionage. Regardless of the credibility of this claim, the case itself highlights the confusion that certain Canadian agencies cause. For example, Canada’s Global Security Reporting Program (GSRP) proclaims itself to be unrelated to foreign intelligence gathering. While this may be true, as Chase et al.’s article highlights, it is bound to cause confusion; and if it does so for Canadians, it will also do so for Canada’s adversaries. Furthermore, it speaks to the lack of an organized overseas intelligence agency, like those utilized by allies.

Mismanagement and confusion within government agencies could be more easily forgiven if comprehensive plans were clear and detailed. Unfortunately, they too remain vague and in some instances virtually unattainable. Global Affairs Canada’s Indo-Pacific Plan is strong on paper, but it hinges on difficult diplomatic successes that appear increasingly unlikely. For example, a key component of this plan is a strengthening partnership with India, a country that expelled Canadian diplomats last October following a diplomatic row regarding India’s alleged involvement with an assassination on Canadian soil. Clearly, they are at best closer to an acquaintance than a friend or “strategic partner” as is the case with other Indo-Pacific countries such as South Korea, according to Global Affairs Canada.

Internally, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reportedly cannot combat or effectively prevent a serious domestic security threat. At the end of 2023, the United Kingdom increased the terror threat level for Canada, higher than it has been in numerous years, and curiously, higher than the federal government of Canada has on its website. While this is merely an assessment by another nation on Canada’s security situation, it should raise concerns and questions as to why the Canadian government has not changed its own risk level, and how prepared Canadian security services are to combat potential threats if they are arising. The answer to both of those appears to be disorganization.

In late 2023,Canada’s own Senate Foreign Affairs Committee deemed diplomatic capacity to be unsustainably weak due to decades of underfunding and disorganization. It is these exact shortcomings that have resulted in Canada sitting on the “sidelines” as allied nations work together and deepen strategic ties. A Policy Options Report examined how over the last twenty years, seniority among Canadian foreign policy officers was based on administrative capabilities instead of foreign policy experience within Canadian diplomatic offices. Clearly then, our foreign policy initiatives appear destined to fall short. As the Global Affairs Canada website states, the “well-being and security of Canadians is directly affected by events abroad”. It needs to work to internalize these words, ensuring that proper diplomacy is conducted in an organized fashion, so as to ensure the safety of Canadian citizens and maximize the effectiveness of Canadian diplomatic initiatives.

To do this, the Canadian government needs to make foreign diplomacy a higher priority, and forge new partnerships with nations around the globe, especially those with whom Canada has long been close allies with, such as the United Kingdom and Australia. It also means setting out goals that are both attainable and beneficial in the long-term; short-term successes will not serve foreign interests, but strong relationships built on mutual trust will.