Renewing Democracy Support: Options and Opportunities for Canada

The first half of 2021 has seen a crescendo of concerns about threats to democracy and rising autocratic forces and has led to renewed interest in democracy support efforts by G7 countries and other democratic allies. Most significantly, the new US administration has placed the defence of democracy at the centre of its new national security strategy and the UK has made open societies and championing shared democratic values a priority for its G7 presidency in 2021. Concerns about a ‘democratic recession’ and the need for global leadership have also prompted leading non-governmental institutions such as US-based Freedom House, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to come forward with new research and recommendations on how to support democracy and counter authoritarianism.

It is within this context that Massey College will host this workshop. Canadian and US foreign policy and democracy experts will take stock of this heightened focus on freedom, democracy and human rights and discuss implications for Canadian foreign policy including the government’s mandate commitment to establish a Canadian Centre on Peace, Order and Good Government*. The workshop follows a similar session in early 2020 that explored the key design principles and success factors for a Canadian democracy support centre.

*The Minister of Foreign Affairs has been mandated to establish, with the support of the Minister of International Development, the Canadian Centre for Peace, Order and Good Government - a democracy support centre to expand the availability of Canadian expertise and assistance to those seeking to build peace, advance justice, promote human rights and democracy, and deliver good governance. The Main Estimates for 2020-2021 included a commitment of $50 million a year for the new Canadian Centre. This mandate priority builds on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development’s landmark 2007 report “Advancing Canada’s Role in International Support for Democratic Development”, the 2009 Advisory Panel Report on the “Creation of a Canadian Democracy Promotion Agency” and the 2019 Standing Committee report “Renewing Canada’s Role in International Support for Democratic Development”.

Participants

• Thomas S. Axworthy, Massey College (Co-host)
• Margaret Biggs, Queen’s University (Co-host)
• Frances Brown, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Catherine Godin, Global Affairs Canada
• Robert Greenhill, Global Canada
• Rachel Kleinfeld, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Monika Le Roy, InterAmerican Development Bank
• Owen Lippert, Consultant
• Roland Paris, University of Ottawa
• Ben Rowswell, Canada International Council
• Sanjay Ruparelia, Ryerson University
• Jennifer Welsh, McGill University

Agenda

2:00 p.m. - Welcome and Introductions

• Thomas S. Axworthy, Massey College
• Margaret Biggs, Queen's University
   

2:10 p.m. - Renewing democracy support: US agenda? What role can middle powers play?

• Moderator: Tom Axworthy
• Remarks: Frances Brown and Rachel Kleinfeld, Carnegie Foundation
• Remarks: Roland Paris, University of Ottawa
• Roundtable discussion
   

2:45 p.m. - Democracy support and Canadian Foreign Policy: Opportunities and challenges

• Moderator: Tom Axworthy
• Remarks: Jennifer Welsh, McGill University
• Roundtable discussion
   

3:05 p.m. - A Canadian Centre for Peace, Order and Good Government?

• Moderator: Margaret Biggs
• Recap of 2020 Massey Workshop (Document)
• Roundtable discussion
   

3:30 p.m. - Wrap Up and Key Take-aways:

=> Towards a New Canadian Strategy to Support Democracy?
=> Moving forward on a Canadian Centre on Peace, Order and Good Government?

• Moderator: Margaret Biggs
• Roundtable discussion
• Close

Registration

This will be a closed meeting and participation will be by invitation only.

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