bout de papier, Vol. 15, No. 2 (1998) — Summer 1998 // Été 1998, pp. 24–25
The Canadians who best knew Latin America at the beginning of this century were a small band of dedicated missionaries and a handful of intrepid entrepreneurs. Otherwise, Canadians at large ignored the exotic and oh-so-foreign land of Carmen Miranda. There was a flurry of interest during World War II when, for strategic reasons, Canada opened embassies in many regional capitals. A few academics spoke of the potential of the continent, postulating that Canada was “on the brink” of launching a meaningful relationship with the region. However, with the advent of the Cold War, Latin America again dropped into the void.
About the same time that Canadians in significant numbers discovered the beaches of the Caribbean and Mexico, renewed efforts were made by the government to establish a relationship with the region. Do you remember Pierre Trudeau’s “Foreign Policy for Canadians” of the 1960s? In the late 1970s we were once again “on the brink” as the Department identified Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil as countries of concentration: Venezuela, with much oil to burn, spurned our advances, Mexico was pleasantly surprised. Brazil was pleasantly bemused: there, our first moves after announcing this initiative were to close the Consulate General in Rio and i cut RCI Portuguese-language broadcasting by 50%! Debt and dictators, inflation and instability, Fidel and the Falklands conspired and, once again, we pulled back from “the brink”. I think we did learn though: government, business, academics, NGOs and other actors must all see the importance of the region — although not necessarily agree on what ipier Vol. needs to be done — and, above all, that it takes two to tango, even in Argentina. Slowly, Latin American countries began to take a greater interest in us and our potential role in the Americas.
We are no longer “on the brink”. I think we have finally launched a relationship which has been caught by the region. The first step was joining the OAS (or being welcomed into the Organisation by the region after much cajoling) which incorporated us actively into the region’s political agenda, where we have made a positive impact particularly on the peace, security and human rights agendas in the hemisphere. The second was NAFTA where government, the business community and investors made the commercial leap over the USA and gave the seal of approval to doing business in Latin America. Perhaps a third factor is our active participation in the Summit of the Americas process where political, social and economic themes (above all, free trade) merge.
We have also matured as a nation, no longer attempting to explain who or what we are in anti-American terms — we are definitely not just gringos from the far north — or trying to convince South Americans that we are Latin soul brothers. While at the popular level the word “Canada” generally conjures up a warm fuzzy feeling (along with a few too many polar bears), decision formers and decision makers increasingly see us in new terms. Peru’s foreign minister recently described Canada as “a friend who exercises considerable influence in continental, global and multilateral affairs”. Too often, we forget how well others perceive us, our influence and our values.
The Latin American stereotypes remain, but they are slowly eroding with success stories – Chile, Argentina — more widely told. This is a place where business can be conducted and money made. It is no longer the tinderbox where people go to war over football games. However, deep-seated social problems — many of these values-based — persist. While politically and commercially Canada’s relations with the region have gradually matured over the past ten years, the cultural values-gap remains. If we are not able to bridge it, or learn to live with it, we may continue to teeter “on the brink” of cementing a fully-mature relationship with Latin America.
Perhaps the most vivid image of Latin America today is that of grinding poverty. The terrible conditions of life among the poor, most of them amerindian or blacks, and the perceived lack of interest in their plight by the well-heeled elite is a shock to most of us. These images imply democratic, cultural and social values quite different from our own with far less attention paid to human rights. It also points to future instability — which somehow the local elites are not supposed to perceive or to care about. Coupled with corruption, narcotics trafficking, high crime and the military poised to pummel civilians, Latin America appears an unpleasant place with values foreign to most Canadians.
Latin America has been bombarded by shrill demands for it to change its ways: free trade for the good of us all, establish democracies just like ours, eliminate corruption, give jobs and social justice to it’s poor. The reaction from governments, all too often, was to circle the wagons, raise the flag and chant the mantra of “noninterference in internal affairs” — the “debate” was sterile.
Many Canadians are uncomfortable with the Latin American political tradition of strongly centralised governments with immense power concentrated in the Presidency, but many Latins like it that way. The perceived need for “stability” has often outweighed individual liberties. Many of them see parliamentary systems as inherently unstable. This does not mean, however, that the majority in Latin America condones the lack of transparency and accountability in government or ignores human rights violations and the rule of law. No longer is there a lackadaisical acceptance of entrenched corruption as just a part of life — if it ever was.
Abject poverty concerns many Latin Americans. The reasons are probably much the same as in Canada: poverty causes social unrest, it drains the budget and deprives people of their dignity. Latin Americans have long seen this as a problem for governments, which haven’t had the resources, political will or priority to solve it. Communities are beginning to understand that poverty alleviation requires the co-ordinated effort of government, private sector, civil society and individuals themselves. It will take time, however, for societies as a whole to understand that this is not a zero-sum game where the rich will lose everything with the end result poverty for all.
Coupled with income disparities is a pronounced class structure, often based on colour in much of Latin America, with little social mobility. Access to better quality education is beginning to break down social and economic barriers, but change comes slowly and is often resisted by elites who fear the erosion of their privileges.
Despite these generalisations, Latin America is not a monolith, nor should it be treated as such given the diversity in political traditions, economic development, culture and social values. Nonetheless, the fundamental political and social values and aspirations of most Latin Americans are not entirely different from our own. There is a growing will in most countries to enhance the rule of law, reduce corruption, and streamline bureaucracies to make them more responsive to the needs of the citizenry, but always in tune with their own history, culture and traditions. There is growing realisation in the region that freer trade is the wave of the future, that Latin America must be on that wave and that riding the wave requires major advances in good governance.
Canadians, with their well-proven constructive and co-operative approach, can (and do) work with governments, business groups and civil society in the region to reinforce the observance of democratic values, good governance and human rights and increase the quality of life. With strong democratic values and traditions that work, but no history of overseas colonial adventures, Canadians can successfully deliver difficult messages often ill-received from others. The approach cannot be the shrill “get your act together or else”,, but rather by initiating a constructive dialogue to identify areas of need and work with local institutions to better the situation. We are indeed very good at this.
Change in Latin America will be slow, with setbacks along the way, but progress is both inevitable and necessary. Canada must play an increasingly important part in making it happen: after all, Latin America is in our back yard — or is it our front yard? In an ever more global society, the result will be greater prosperity, enhanced peace and security and deeper respect for democratic values in both Canada and Latin America. Let’s take the final plunge!
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 15, No. 2 (1998) — Summer 1998 // Été 1998, pp. 24–25. Read the rest of this issue →
