Canada and the Caribbean: could Canada ever be a colonial power? Would Canadians ever accept such a role? In short, the answer to both of these questions is an emphatic “no”. And it should not be our goal on the world stage to become an empire, a colonial power. But our adversity to colonialism, our anti-colonial mindset, has become an excuse, hindering us from truly expanding our global reach; from becoming a true global leader.
Wilfred Laurier once predicted that Canada would become a global leader, but then the first vestiges of Canadian foreign policy saw us limit ourselves to what would be acceptable to Britain at that time. When we moved on from Britain, we found ourselves looking for approval from the U.S. To whom will we kowtow tomorrow … China?
It is as if Canada has an inferiority complex, lacks self-confidence, and is governed by a fear of not being accepted. It is like we are an adolescent country, still struggling to find our role, our purpose in this world. Yet we have all the potential to be that leader that Laurier envisioned for us as a country. We just have to stop worrying about what other states think about us; we need to choose our own path.
When Laurier made his prognostications on Canadian leadership, Britain had contemplated giving Canada the Bahamas for us to administer, but Canada didn’t want this responsibility. Later, in the early 1980s, both Britain and the U.S. suggested that Canada could play a greater role of influence in the Caribbean, and soon after the Turks and Caicos Islands made their first petition to join Canada. We, sadly, turned this down, using the anti-colonial excuse and not wanting to offend Britain and the U.S. Yet no one said we had to act as a colonial power.
Canada has a lot to offer this part of the world, which could be of benefit to Canada and these Caribbean nations. We have a common history and identity of being former colonies, governed from abroad. So we understand the importance of independence. Our geographic proximity to each other also lends support to a potential close relationship. Through investment in this area, we could truly open up a market for many of our Canadian businesses, while bringing prosperity to the people there as we work with them. And we can do this without having to compromise our Canadian values.
All we need to do is have vision, moving beyond those hangups of our past. As a nation that respects trade based upon a sense of fair play, we could easily create a legal mechanism that could help in making this a reality. We do not need to adopt or bring any of these states into our confederation, but simply offer them a fair deal. Such a simple and idealistic idea would offer us great benefits within the greater region. And if it works there, we can apply it elsewhere too.
We are handicapped by something though, which seems to suggest we cannot do this. Instead, we look to those large markets, Europe and Asia, which constantly draw us in, as if we are constantly trying to prove ourselves to them, bargaining away our dignity for tired promises. In the end, we could never become a colonial power, as we still bear the ghostly chains of being a colony ourselves. And yet this seems to be our excuse from fulfilling our potential. What are we afraid of?
John Kennair is an international consultant and doctor of laws who lives in St. Albert.
