Canada Among Nations 2013. Canada–Africa relations: Looking back, looking ahead, by Rohinton Medhora and Yiagadeesen Samy, eds

Abstract

Rohinton Medhora and Yiagadeesen Samy, eds Canada Among Nations 201 3. Canada-Africa relations: Looking back, looking ahead Waterloo: Centre for International Governance Innovation, 2013. 308pp., $32.00 (paper) ISBN 978-0-986-70774-2In March 2013, barely 13 years after it had written off hopeless continent, the Economist jolted some of its readers with an Aspiring cover story. For the uninitiated, serious discussions about Africa's new economic potency, declining internal conflicts, and related pockets of better governance challenge lingering preconceptions. What might a new reality and attitude toward mean for Canada relations? For the first time in its 27-year history, and with near perfect timing, the annual stalwart Canada Among Nations series concentrates precisely on Canada relations, building on a resurgence of interest across Canadian scholarly and (mostly non-government) stakeholder communities. No less than 30 experts an appropriate mix of scholars and practitioners examine a comprehensive range of topics, from diplomacy, aid, trade, mining, and health to civil society organizations (CSOs), diaspora politics, regional peace and security, conflict and academic linkages.To enable the right balance between depth and breadth of analysis (2), Africa is limited to Sub-Saharan Africa, thus excluding deliberation about the Arab Awakening across North and the 2011 Libyan intervention. Care, however, is taken not to generalize too strongly across such a diverse sub-region, whose member countries, enduring challenges, and positive developments offer many reasons for Canada to become more officially and systematically engaged.Former prime minister Paul Martin sets the tone in his brief foreword, suggesting that relationship with is too strong to let it wither (xiii). Even if any archaeological dig for a Canadian foreign policy on will always come up dry, Canada's links to post-colonial African states are inarguably broad and often strong and deep, as many chapters illustrate. Brief mention of Canada's first official (i.e., trade offices) and unofficial (i.e., missionaries) colonialera contacts illustrate how the Canadian presence started before the independence era. No mention, however, is made of the hundreds of Canadian voyageurs recruited for the Nile Expedition of the 1880s or of the nearly 8000 Canadians who volunteered to serve under British command during the Boer War. Canadian involvement in began on a distinctly expeditionary footing, followed shortly thereafter by commercial and missionary forays. The roots and substance of Canadian involvement in cannot easily be explained by charitable or humanitarian interests, but more on that oft-repeated myth below.Three general themes permeate the collection. First, African issues have, on occasion, percolated up the Canadian foreign policy agenda and into public consciousness, but for fleeting moments only (e.g., South Africa, Biafra, Ethiopia's famine, Sudan during Talisman's investment there, blood diamonds, the 2002 Kananaskis G8 Summit). Policymakers from momentarily captivated prime ministers to others deep within the civil service usually have significant choice and leeway to pursue policies and deploy resources without much public interest and oversight. Elections are never won or lost on African issues, despite growing advocacy among CSO, scholarly, diaspora, and business constituencies.Africa's policy marginalization needs to be overcome, most contributors attest, if trade-dependent Canada hopes to leverage Africa's economic growth trajectory. Otherwise, Ottawa risks being overtaken by an increasing number of nontraditional providers (NTPs) of aid (195). Most contributors who refer to the March 2013 budget announcement to re-fold the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) into the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) are cautiously optimistic about the move, sensing some potential for a more coherent policy toward and engagement with Africa. …