This week, Canada joined the request of the United Nations (UN) to give a joint global response to the imminent international economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and asked the World Health Organization (WHO ) for greater transparency after the report he presented about the origin of the Covid.
Not only have opposition parties in Canada questioned the role of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding his sphere of action in the international framework but also the world has wondered where Canada is and its influence on foreign policy.
For years, the Canadian presence has been more active and influential than it appears in recent years, says Brenda Romo. The specialist in North American Affairs explains that Canadians have founded most of the multilateral organizations that have been pillars of the global system that emerged since 1945. “Their multilateralist tradition, the emphasis on peaceful solutions and the use of diplomacy, as well as respect for human rights, have made Canada one of the most respected countries internationally”.
But that influence has waned in recent years, in part because of its dangerous relationship with the United States. Their closeness has been questioned as well as their distancing. Remember the strained relationship with former President Donald Trump, adds Romo.
Canada joins the UN in the search for a joint economic response to Covid
“Without a doubt, this week Trudeau has had a more participatory role in international governance. Through a virtual summit, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, Trudeau, and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, urged the international community to take additional and urgent measures to ensure a solid recovery of the global economy, affected by Covid.
Trudeau said that the pandemic “has exposed economic inequalities both within countries and between them. The only way to tackle this challenge is through international cooperation ”.
For his part, Guterres said the world must take urgent action to help the governments of low- and middle-income countries access cash and ease their debt burdens, or risk an uneven global recovery.
And it must be remembered that the pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 2.7 million people and caused more than 127 million confirmed cases to date. The situation has gone beyond a health and humanitarian crisis to also become an unprecedented global development emergency.
“While some countries have been able to accumulate new debt to build a bridge to recovery and reserve vaccines, others have been forced to allocate their limited fiscal space to pay their debts, rather than support their people. So we call for a moratorium. on debt payments, targeted debt relief and reforms in the international debt architecture to provide greater support to countries in need, “Guterres said.
The UN reported that six developing countries have already defaulted on their debt since the pandemic began, while another 42 had their credit ratings lowered during that time.
Countries ask for a more complete WHO report
Canada, along with 13 other nations, declared themselves “concerned” by the report of the international mission of the World Health Organization that visited Wuhan for 28 days, the Chinese city where the first coronavirus outbreak was allegedly registered.
Specifically, the participating countries claimed that the international mission of scientists to Wuhan was “significantly delayed” and “did not have access” to “original and complete” virus data and samples, as it was allegedly only provided to WHO scientists reports previously produced by Chinese experts.
By Silvia Méndez
