You know, Canada is a great country. Its passport and its travelling citizens are generally respected around the world. The only issues I sometimes hear from non-canadians is the country’s proximity and the seemingly subservient relationship with its southern neighbor. I cannot vouch for that nor refute it, for I am not knowledgeable enough in this area. But...
Canada seems to be shooting itself in the foot over the past few years and raising the wrath of a number of significant countries about some of its actions, words and diplomacy. And that is troublesome for a country that generates over a quarter of its GDP (Gross Domestic Products) from Exports!
You see, the acronym BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Initially it was just an acronym representing the collection of top developing nations that the West was paying attention to for their strategic importance. Not only are they still very important, they are in the process of turning themselves into an independent trading pole within a multi-polar world order. It is not sure if the move will be successful, but the strategic and trade weight of these countries is significant.
The other day, I was thinking that Canada, like many other countries, has already reduced its relationship with Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine. As for China, back in December 2018, Canada’s relationship with the country took a turn for the worse, when Canada arrested Meng Wazhou, Huawei’s CFO and the daughter of the company’s founder. The charges were based on an extradition request from the US for a list of activities, which was seen by a large portion of the population as a pressure tactic by the US. In fact many of those charges would not hold in any court in the West, but Canada had to process the request, based on its treaty with the US. The show lasted until September 2021, when a diplomatic settlement was found. Meanwhile, two Canadians were jailed in China during the same period, and Canada’s trade with China suffered significantly, and it still has not mended. In addition, the Canadian government is trying to settle a multi-million dollar lawsuit with the two imprisoned (and now freed) Canadians.
As if this was not enough, we recently heard Canada claiming that India may have been behind the assassination of a Sikh separatist activist in Canada. This accusation sent furors in India, and has caused havoc to the relationships with the country. Now, I am not going to give a lesson on the case, but Canada’s accusation has been formulated as, «Canadian authorities had been investigating ‘credible allegations’ of a potential link between ‘agents of the government of India’ and the killing of Nijjar, a Sikh Canadian citizen who was gunned down by masked men in June.» We find out later that the supposed evidence for the ‘credible allegations’ seem to be coming from the US intelligence, the same country whose administration has completely ignored that a journalist and activist residing on its soil was murdered by Saudi Arabia!
Now, of course, one line of argument is that Canada is a country where law and justice rule and diplomacy cannot overrule it. It is a respectable position, but the other angle is that Canada has damaged its relationships with two major countries based on wishy-washy claims by its southern neighbor, that has been famous for breaking and reneging laws and principles in pursuit of its objectives. So as we look at Canada’s relationships with the BRICS, we see that those with the R, the I and the C have plummeted, leaving Canada with BS.
Paris, January 11, 2024
Zeejay