With the declination of all the advancements that occurred during the Obama administration, it seems the world is looking elsewhere than at the United States for a leader in morality. Is The American Dream More Attainable In Canada was a piece I posted just a dozen days ago, but the more I think about it and the deeper we get into this Republican presidency, boy, it's seeming to be coming true.
TheGlobeAndMail.com recently posted a story titled, By Tying Trade to LGBT Rights, Canada May Be an Unlikely Architect of a New Global Order. If the US kept moving in the direction that it was with Obama, America and not Canada would have been the subject matter of the post, I am sure. The United States had in the past used LGBT Rights as hot topics when it did come to economic trade, but with tЯump in the oval office, the rainbow flag most likely will not be involved in any trade talks.
So what about this Canadian / LGBT Rights / New Global Order?
The context of Brexit and the unforeseen shift in the Anglo-American alliance caused by the election of U.S. President Donald Trump are equal parts threat and opportunity for Canadian foreign policy.
After Prime Minister Theresa May’s imminent Article 50 notification, Britain will undoubtedly move toward reviving its Commonwealth trade ties, reminiscent of the pre-GATT era of imperial preferences. Yet the Commonwealth as an organization is burdened by a fundamental paradox in values. While 75 other Commonwealth countries still criminalize homosexual acts, Canada, the U.K. and Australia have taken steps toward dismantling anti-gay laws.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has extended his predecessor’s foreign policy platform quite effectively. However, a plus ça change strategy at the Commonwealth would amount to a missed opportunity, ensuring Canada fails to punch above its weight on the global stage. As Britain rapidly shifts its foreign policy priorities, Canada must act to ensure LGBT protections are at the very centre of any new Commonwealth trading regime.
In the January, 2017, report Reconnecting with the Commonwealth – which has a foreword by former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott – British MP James Cleverly and Tim Hewish, the Royal Commonwealth Society’s director of policy and research, propose such a regime. The idea appears to be gaining traction among some British policy-makers. While the authors note “free trade is not based on utility but on justice” (quoting Edmund Burke), their report is mum on human rights. – TheGlobeAndMail.com
It's nice to see a nation's leader not waffle and flip-flop on policies and beliefs. Could we borrow Justin Trudeau during the winter months and then send him home for the great Canadian summers? I have a guest room here in Florida he could use.
Do you feel that the spotlight on LGBT Rights leadership is panning up to the north to Canada?
Do you feel a nation should tie its trade policies with LGBT / Women / Children Rights?
“I’m not going to sugar-coat this for anybody,” said Randy Boissonnault, MP for Edmonton Center and Trudeau’s special adviser for LGBT issues. “There’s work to be done in our own country.”
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“Canada has a key role to play on supporting the human rights of LGBTI people globally,” said Doug Kerr, a leader of the Canadian Dignity Initiative. “We have not been at the front of this movement in the past, but it’s about time we stepped up.” – TheGlobeAndMail.com
h/t; TheGlobeAndMail.com
Michael Motala