Preview

Lack Of Leadership In Canada

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2694 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lack Of Leadership In Canada
Canada’s Lack of Leadership in United Nations World Affairs Canada is known to be the “nice guys” of the world, but we have shady patches in our history that could easily strip us of our “nice guys” title, especially when it comes to foreign affairs. During the Rwandan genocide in 1994, the Canadian government ignored many reports of the intense violence going on in Rwanda. Canada voted against Palestinian statehood and has been showing our disagreement on this issue, but continues to talk without taking action. Canada is known to opt out of environmental resolutions, including the Kyoto Protocol and more recently, the UN’s Anti-Drought Convention. Canada often does not take a leadership role when it comes to UN foreign affairs. Canada …show more content…
The fax reports showed that the UN missions had proof that there were militia training camps and that weapons were passed out to Tutsis- an obvious move of preparation of a massacre. Major Brent Beardsley a military aide to Romeo Dallaire during the genocide said, “Ottawa knew something was going on. . . everyone was sitting back and waiting for some else to take a lead,”(Black). Canada had reports foreshadowing a civil war and we chose to ignore them. Beardsley’s statement shows that Canada did not take a leadership role and just sat back and waited for someone else to take it. We should have taken action and proposed a plan to stop the genocide as soon as we were getting these gruesome reports. Beardsley also says that the government did not have Rwanda has a priority and because of this, they chose to ignore the reports (Black). This shows Canada’s ignorance of the situation. Canada had an attitude of “it’s not our problem” and because it doesn 't affect Canada in a major way, they decided to ignore the situation. Even our then foreign affairs minister, Andre Ouellet, acknowledged our …show more content…
"Genocide in Rwanda." United Human Rights Council. United Human Rights Council, 26 May 2009. Web. 08 May 2013.
Hampson, Sarah. "Romeo Dallaire Rages against Canada." The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc., 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
Black, Debra. "Why Did Ottawa Ignore Warnings of Rwandan Genocide?" Thestar.com. Toronto Star Newspaper Ltd., 22 May 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.

News, CBC. "GG Apologizes for Rwandan Genocide Inaction." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.

Humphreys, Adrian. "Canada One of Only Nine Countries to Vote against ‘symbolic’ Palestinian statehood." National Post. Postmedia Network Inc., 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 06 May 2013.

Parry, Tom. "Baird Going to UN to Oppose Palestinian Statehood Bid." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 05 May 2013.

Suzuki, David. "Canada and the Kyoto Protocol." David Suzuki Foundation. David Suzuki Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 May 2013.

Curry, Bill, and McCarthy, Shawn. "Canada Formally Abandons Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change." The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc., 12 Dec. 2011. Web. 05 May 2013.

News, CBC. "Canada Pulls out of Kyoto Protocol." CBC Mews. CBC/Radio Canada, 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 08 May
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Was Jean Chretien Successful
    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Was Jean Chretien Successful

    Chretien was very opposed to this and the following year took many steps to ensure Canada as a more environmentally safe place to live. On December 17, 2002 Jean Chretien ratified to the Kyoto protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement between many nations that have mandatory limits on the amount of Greenhouse gas emissions. This decision was criticized by different business and provinces for signing this agreement, from environmentalists the outcome was different, Chretien received praise. In 2002 Chretien introduced 3 new major environmental laws. The first act to be put in place was the Species at Risk act. This act fulfilled the promise from the 1992 Earth Summit, this law protects the growing number of endangered species and aims to lower these numbers. The Pest Control Act was also introduced, this law had a whole new way to governing pesticides. This law requires a more precautionary approach to the handling of pesticides and its use. The last act introduced was the National Marine Conservation Act, this act allows Canada to make many protected area’s in the ocean. Over the course of Chretien’s political career he opened 10 new national parks. In 2003 Chretien’s last year he allocated $3 billion over 5 years to help keep Canada environmentally on track. Chretien played a huge role in setting up the International Arctic Council in 1996. This council consists of countries that have land in the Arctic. In Canada 40% of its land mass is in the Arctic. This purpose of this council is to address the different issues going on in the arctic whether these be social or economical. Issues consist of pollution, global climate and the Natural Resources in the Arctic. The first meeting of the council was held in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Another focus of Chretien’s was to enhance the security and prosperity of the Aboriginals and Northern Canadians. On June…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Sutherland - Insights from a Cold War Strategist
    • 4652 Words
    • 19 Pages

    Sutherland - Insights from a Cold War Strategist

    Bibliography: Bashevkin, Sylvia. "An Independent Foreign Policy for Canada? Challenges and Choices for the Future." Labour no. 65 (2010): 200-202,http://search.proquest.com/docview /347842317?accountid=9867 (accessed October 22, 2012).…

    • 4652 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dallaire's Fax Analysis
    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Dallaire's Fax Analysis

    Utilizing my background knowledge on the escalation of the Rwandan conflict into genocide, I was appalled by the UN’s inaction even after receiving Dallaire’s fax. Dallaire’s fax outlines some very important and specific details regarding the situation in Rwanda that explicitly showed that genocide was approaching, including:…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Enironmental issues in Canada
    • 2481 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Enironmental issues in Canada

    8. “Canada’s Action on Climate Change”. Climatechange.gc.ca. Government of Canada, 2012.web.November 17.2012 < http://climatechange.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=D27052CE-1 >…

    • 2481 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Canadian Peacekeeping In Canada
    • 2704 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Canadian Peacekeeping In Canada

    Kim Richard Nossal, The Politcs of Canadian Foreign Policy Third Edition, (Prentice Hall Canada Inc., Scarborough, Ontario, 1985), 71…

    • 2704 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Political Influence On Canada
    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Political Influence On Canada

    An equally important affair that is debated can be the environment, since it is one of the most argumentative subjects there is to date. For instance, the Kyoto Protocol was an international global treaty created for protecting any environment that was left and to do so, they needed money from 192 countries, Canada being one of them. However, Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister at the time, withdrawn from said protocol, as he felt that…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Rwanda Genocide Main Points
    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Rwanda Genocide Main Points

    Shockingly, the 1994 genocide in Rwanda truly began in 1916 with the colonization of Belgium (World Without Genocide). The three tribes Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa had similar cultures; speaking the same languages and practicing the same religion. Then, Belgium created social division between Tutsis and Hutus. They decided to divide the tribes based on individual income and physical stature (Mamdani). This shows the immediate hatred the Hutus would feel toward the Tutsis because of this discrimination that would eventually led to violence. Automatically if you treat one group better than another and begin to create separation, the second group will begin to resent the favored group. You can see how making someone feel worthless would soon turn into a retaliation. That is what Belgium did to the Rwandan tribes that were once at peace. They created separation for economic and political power. Belgium thought that if the two tribes hated each other, then they wouldn’t hate Belgium. They gave Tutsis certain political rights and gave the Hutus non. They gave the Tutsis the ability to read, they were able to get jobs, and they could practice Catholicism, and the Hutus were basically illiterate slaves (The Ghost of Rwanda). You can see a direct correlation to the violence in Rwanda with how Belgium treated the Hutus. This separation Belgium created is a major factor in the…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Cba Rwanda
    • 2021 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Cba Rwanda

    Hymowritz, Sarah and Amela Parker. “Post Genocide Rwanda” 28 November 2011. American University Washington College Of Law Center 28 November 2011 www.wcl.american.edu/humrights/center.…

    • 2021 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Canada In Rwanda
    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Canada In Rwanda

    Canada was known as the political middle ground during the 1994 genocide. They voiced their many concerns on the state of the UN on how its diplomacy was slow in response. The Prime Minster at the time, Jean Chretien, said he was “extremely concerned, frustrated with the foot dragging and slow-motion diplomacy at…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Uganda-Rwanda Genocide
    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Uganda-Rwanda Genocide

    Many people around the world are criticizing the United Nations for not preventing or stopping the devastating genocide that happened in Rwanda during 1994. The United Nations tried to mediate a cease-fire and bring peace to Rwanda, but it didn’t work out successfully. The main reason why UN was poorly equipped and insufficient, UN responded too late and Rwanda refused the UN’s support.…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Women In The Rwandan Genocide
    • 1536 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Women In The Rwandan Genocide

    On April 7, 1994, around 3,000 Tutsis sought safety at the base of a Belgian contingent in Kigali, “but after 10 commandos were killed by forces from Rwanda's regular army, Belgium decided to pull its troops out. The Tutsis were left with no protection, and thousand were slaughtered on April 11 on a hillside called Nyanza” (Corbett). Through this devious act, it shows the world governments arrogance and apathy surrounding Rwanda, effortlessly abandoning 3000 innocent civilians, soon to die. An example of the lack of efficiency is when “the Security Council later voted in mid-May to send 5,000 troops back to Rwanda after reports that the genocide spread. However, by the time the force returned, the genocide had long been over” (Ilibagiza). Due to lack of coordination and orderliness, it created a bubble in which the productivity in the UN was not present leading to a capsize in military force and in Tutsi population. Towards the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide “Major international leaders were ready to collaborate with the common goal of evacuating their own citizens and expatriate employees, but they refused any joint intervention to save Rwandan lives”. The response to the Rwandan genocide was quite disgraceful because those who are meant to preserve and protect human dignity put…

    • 1536 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rwanda Genocide Research Paper
    • 4123 Words
    • 17 Pages

    Rwanda Genocide Research Paper

    The commission reported mass killings and massacres in Rwanda. Not only that, the level of corruption in the country put the government on the edge (www.hrw.org). Although Rwandan corruption was not equivalent to that of Zaire, it exposed the elite to corruption charges. The fear of facing charges of mass murder and corruption led to the perpetration of the Rwandan genocide. (African rights, 1995)…

    • 4123 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Genocide of Rwanda
    • 1815 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Genocide of Rwanda

    Cited: “Children of Rwanda’s Genocide” New York Times on the Web. 1999. The New York Times…

    • 1815 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Genocide In Rwanda Essay
    • 1965 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Genocide In Rwanda Essay

    The genocide in Rwanda is arguably one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century. In 100 days approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in brutal waves of violence. Despite this, the international community stood by and did nothing. There have been many arguments made over just why this was, ranging from ignorance of the situation, apathy towards peacekeeping missions, or simply having more pressing issues than a tiny state in Central Africa. This essay will examine why it was that the international community failed to prevent the genocide in Rwanda. It will do this by examining the role of the UN, Britain, the United States, France and the role of the media before looking at the brief argument that there was nothing…

    • 1965 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Entrepreneur Chahe Yerevanian
    • 2644 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Entrepreneur Chahe Yerevanian

    COVER FEATURE Chahe Yerevanian took his family’s struggling real estate development business and turned it into one of Lebanon’s biggest players. Here’s how the company remodeled from the bottom line up. By Eliot Stempf Chahe Yerevanian Reconstructing business 40| Entrepreneur October 2012 T he turn of the millenium bore ill for the three brothers of the Yerevanian family, Vahe, Chahe and Serge. Ara Yerevanian, their father and founder of the family real estate development firm, passed away after months of fighting cancer – and having led the family through a host of other struggles besides. Ara had shuffled his family between Paris and Lebanon with the ebb and flow of conflict in the civil war, and eventually landed his family in Canada.…

    • 2644 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics