Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has started to fulfill her mission. When appointed last October, she pledged to reinvest in diplomatic tools to strengthen Canada’s presence in the world. She just laid the groundwork for Canada’s return to the international scene by announcing the opening of six embassies over the next few months. This reinvestment will bolster a rather weak diplomatic presence on the ground, contrasted with that of its G7 partners.

Further announcements could come later after the release of a strategy statement on the Indo-Pacific and another on Africa, two regions currently in the spotlight, by the end of the year.

Since 2006, the governments of conservative Stephen Harper and liberal Justin Trudeau have been indifferent, to say the least, to Canada’s diplomatic presence abroad. When elected in 2015, Trudeau promised to return to Canada without giving himself the means to do so. China’s rise, Russia’s aggressiveness in its former empire, Africa’s rise to become one of the most economically dynamic regions in the world, and Canada’s decline in influence, evidenced by back-to-back defeats in Security Council elections, have forced Ottawa to take its place in the world seriously.

And it is precisely in former Eastern Europe, particularly because of the war in Ukraine, that Canada is beginning to increase its global diplomatic presence. Current offices in Estonia, Lithuania and Slovakia will be converted into full-fledged embassies, and the diplomatic presence in Latvia will be reinforced given Canada’s military engagement in that country as part of NATO’s multinational deployment against Russia.

Ottawa will also open an embassy in Armenia. Why did you choose this country, a loyal ally of Russia, and not neighboring Georgia, which is nevertheless a candidate for the European Union and NATO? The minister stressed the close ties between the two countries and the need to consolidate their fragile democracy. One might add that the presence of a large Armenian community in Ahuntsic-Cartierville in Montreal, the M^me Joly, is another good reason.

Africa is the second continent where Canada plans to increase its presence by opening an embassy in Rwanda and a mission to the African Union (AU). These decisions are wise. Rwanda exerts considerable influence on the continent, despite a negative human rights record. France understood this well, favoring the election of its Foreign Minister in 2018 at the head of Francophonie to the detriment of Michaëlle Jean. And also Switzerland, which will convert its cooperation office into an embassy.

Opening a representation to the AU is a bold decision as only four countries – the United States, Italy, Japan and China – have similar representation in this organization, which brings together the 54 African states. It could pay off in the medium and long term if Canada seeks support for its diplomatic initiatives.

This presence is part of the minister’s desire to pursue a strategy to benefit from the continent’s economic development. She also commissioned her parliamentary secretary, Robert Oliphant, to write it. He will be assisted by a new deputy minister, Africanist Antoine Chevrier, who has just been appointed to replace an official with no diplomatic or African experience who was nevertheless pushed into the position by the prime minister’s office.

The most awaited strategy statement certainly concerns the Indo-Pacific region. It has been consistently delayed by a year and will be delayed by a few more months as the ministry is embroiled in the crisis in Ukraine. Ottawa is not idle in this region, as evidenced by negotiations for a free trade agreement with the ten members of the Association of East Asian States.

However, Canada is absent from many economic and security initiatives in this part of the world, where the rivalry between the United States and China will shape international relations for decades to come. It seems the Ottawa government is still hesitating about what strategy to pursue as the United States seeks to regulate the world in its crusade against China. Whatever the outcome of current deliberations, Canada’s swing to Asia is irreversible and it would not be surprising if M^me Joly announces the establishment of further diplomatic missions in this direction.

Much effort remains to be made to allow Canadian diplomacy to regain some clout. Being there is a first step. Initiatives and ideas must follow, because they enable a country to sit at the table and count.

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