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INFO ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/26 
TAGS: PREL KDEM OAS AORC CA
SUBJECT: Canada Strongly Supports U.S. Approach to OAS Reform, 
Mandate for Next Secretary General 
 
REF: STATE 16528 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Scott Bellard, Political Minister Counselor, Ottawa, 
POL; REASON: 1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1. (C/NF) Canada "strongly supports" the U.S. approach to OAS 
reform and the mandate for the next OAS Secretary General (reftel), 
according to Jeff Marder, Director of South American and 
Inter-American Relations at the Department of Foreign Affairs and 
International Trade (DFAIT).  Marder added that Canada intends to 
be a "forceful voice" for reform during the March 3 Permanent 
Council meeting.  He noted that Canada has also already spoken 
privately with Secretary General Insulza about his vision for 
reform and mandate for a second term, as well as Canadian 
priorities for the OAS.  Marder shared that Canada "was happy" with 
SYG Insulza's responses and told him privately that Canada "will 
vote for him."  Marder requested we keep Canada's support for 
Insulza confidential. 
 
 
 
¶2. (C/NF) Marder underlined that Canada told Insulza that they want 
to see him push for "a more robust implementation of the 
Inter-American Democratic Charter" and "really tackle management 
reforms."  He shared that Canada believes that the OAS needs a 
"strong, competent, and professional" secretariat and expressed his 
surprise at "how much it does with so little."  Anna-Karine 
Asselin, Deputy Director of Inter-American Affairs, added that 
Canada very much supports the idea of "costing out the mandates" of 
all OAS resolutions.  She commented that it might be useful to 
discuss whether the Assistant SYG should "perhaps be a technocrat, 
rather than a political figure."  She noted that, in her own recent 
experience working with the OSCE, this "arrangement worked very 
well."  However, she affirmed that "real  reform will require real 
'buy-in' by the Secretary General and the secretariat." 
 
 
 
¶3. (C/NF) Blair Bobyk, OAS Coordinator, acknowledged that Canada 
and the U.S. need to find a coalition of likeminded hemispheric 
partners  to create a "chorus" in favor of a more "robust approach" 
to reform.  He commented that Canada and the U.S. cannot be the 
only "voices calling for reform."  He singled out Chile under its 
new president as being particularly promising to act as a leader, 
but reiterated that many voices are the key to success.  He 
lamented that Canada "felt very much alone" during the recent OAS 
debate on Venezuelan television station closures, and expressed the 
hope that the same will not occur during discussions on March 3. 
JACOBSON