VZCZCXRO8587
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0636/01 1291342
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 081342Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7822
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000636 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL DAS BARKS-RUGGLES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CA
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TRILATERALS, MAY 15-16 
 
REF: A. OTTAWA 593 
     ¶B. 07 OTTAWA 1924 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Canada remains a key partner of the United 
States in the protection and promotion of human rights 
worldwide, in addition to being the home of one of the 
world's most successful democratic systems and strongest rule 
of law.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper leads one of the most 
stable minority governments in Canadian history.  His 
government's foreign policy style includes a transition from 
a traditional peacekeeping role through the UN to 
"peacemaking" military operations in Afghanistan under NATO 
and elsewhere, a greater concentration of foreign assistance 
in key regions (notably, Latin America and the Caribbean), 
and a "principle-based" approach to human rights.  It is a 
generous donor in Iraq, Haiti, and elsewhere.  Despite some 
domestic concerns, Canada remains fully engaged in the 
Security and Prosperity Partnership, which it hopes will 
survive the transition to the next U.S. Administration.  End 
summary. 
 
WELCOME! 
-------- 
 
¶2. (U)  Embassy warmly welcomes DRL Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of State Erica J. Barks-Ruggles and the delegation 
she will lead to the May 15-16 human rights trilaterals with 
Canada and Mexico in Ottawa.  Poloff Elisabeth Zentos will 
act as control officer, and Embassy appreciates her inclusion 
as part of the delegation. 
 
PARTNER ON HUMAN RIGHTS 
----------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U)  As the State Department's country reports on human 
rights, trafficking in persons, and international religious 
freedom and other reporting make clear, Canada is a model for 
the world in terms of the promotion and protection of human 
rights and democracy in its own society.  It is one of the 
world's most successful federal democracies, with an open, 
accountable, and effective civil service, and a fair and 
transparent legal system. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Canada also actively promotes human rights and 
democracy internationally, as ref a detailed.  It explicitly 
cites democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law 
as the four core values that guide its foreign policy.  It 
works collaboratively to promote human rights and democracy 
through the UN Human Rights Council, the Organization of 
American States (notably through the Unit for the Promotion 
for Democracy and the implementation of the Inter-American 
Democratic Charter), and the Organization of Economic 
Cooperation and Development (notably, the Partnership for 
Democratic Governance), and the Asia-Pacific Democracy 
Partnership, inter alia.  Its Stabilization and 
Reconstruction Task Force (START) provides a coordinated, 
whole-of-government approach to respond in countries in or at 
risk, such as Sudan, Afghanistan, and Haiti, including a 
robust Global Peace and Security Fund. 
 
A MINORITY GOVERNMENT THAT GOVERNS LIKE A MAJORITY 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  The Conservative Party under PM Harper came to 
power in January 2006 elections, but has only 127 seats in 
the 308 House of Commons.  (The opposition Liberal Party has 
the majority in the appointed Senate.)  While the average 
duration of a Canadian minority government is one year and 
three months, the current government has now exceeded this 
average by 12 months and appears set to remain in office at 
least until fall 2008 -- and possibly until the required 
elections on October 19, 2009.  (Under Conservative 
legislation that Parliament passed in May 2006, federal 
elections should take place every four years, beginning in 
2009, unless a government fails at any time to win a vote of 
no confidence in the Commons, at which point elections would 
Qno confidence in the Commons, at which point elections would 
then take place.) 
 
¶6. (U) At the opening of the Parliamentary session in October 
2007 (ref b), the government outlined five areas of focus: 
strengthening Canada's sovereignty and security by projecting 
a presence into the Arctic and rebuilding the armed forces; 
building the economy; modernizing the federation; protecting 
the environment and improving health care; and, tackling 
crime.  Despite its minority status, the government has 
subsequently succeeded in passing its budget (including 
substantial new resources for long-overdue military 
modernization), a comprehensive crime bill, and a motion to 
extend the mandate of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan 
until 2011.  Revised anti-terrorism legislation has passed 
 
OTTAWA 00000636  002 OF 002 
 
 
the Senate and now awaits approval by the House of Commons, 
which should happen before the summer 2008 recess. 
 
FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES 
------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Despite some criticism from the opposition that he 
is too close to President Bush personally and to the U.S. in 
general, PM Harper remains determined further to improve 
relations with the U.S. -- bilaterally, trilaterally through 
the Security and Prosperity Partnership, and multilaterally 
in NATO, the UN, and other organizations.  Under the slogan 
"Canada is back," other new approaches have included: 
 
-- a willingness to challenge the decades-old consensus here 
that the Canadian armed forces should only engage in 
traditional "blue hat" peacekeeping under the UN, arguing 
that some hard fighting -- "peacemaking," as in Afghanistan 
under NATO -- is sometimes necessary to gain enough security 
to make progress on development, democracy, and peace; 
 
-- greater attention to Latin America and the Caribbean by 
shifting more aid dollars to the hemisphere, including about 
US$100 million annually for Haiti as well as negotiation of 
free trade agreements (most recently with Colombia); 
 
--  increased efforts to develop stronger ties with major 
emerging markets, especially India and China; 
 
-- a "principle-based" approach to human rights and 
democratization, unlike earlier governments' willingness to 
go along with the multilateral consensus on human rights and 
democracy issues and not upsetting relations with key trading 
partners.  PM Harper's government has challenged Belarus on 
its flawed elections, refused to recognize the Hamas 
government, officially received the Dalai Lama (in 2007) and 
granted him honorary citizenship (in 2006), conferred 
honorary citizenship to Aung San Suu Kyi (in 2008), shifted 
Canada's voting record at the UN to clarify its position on 
non-democratic regimes, and spoken out forcefully both in 
public and in private about human rights concerns in Cuba, 
Burma, Syria, Iran, Tibet, and elsewhere; 
 
--  while declining to provide troops to Iraq, Canada has 
dedicated about US$300 million for Iraqi reconstruction 
through 2010, has conducted training programs for Iraqi 
police, diplomats, and government executives, and has spent 
over US$200 million in aid for Iraqi humanitarian relief, 
most of it through multilateral agencies.  The Canadian Forum 
of Federations was also involved in writing the Iraqi 
constitution. 
 
SECURITY AND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  The fringe left continues to see the SPP as a 
mechanism for the U.S. to "steal" Canadian water and other 
resources and/or to form a European Union-like system under 
U.S. domination, but PM Harper has made clear  that he values 
these annual meetings and that he strongly hopes that the 
mechanism will survive the transition to the new U.S. 
Administration.  The government has patiently explained to 
the public over and over that the SPP, as well as the North 
American Free Trade Agreement, provide clear benefits for 
Canadian businesses and citizens, by leveraging North 
American strengths, including the vast market and integrated 
value chains, as well as a platform for innovation and global 
success. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
RODDY