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OAS Permanent Council Receives Minister of State of Foreign Affairs of Canada

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), today received, in a special meeting, the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Diane Ablonczy, who said that for her country, the organization is "key" and represents "a central and indispensable venue for cooperation with our hemispheric partners.”

In her presentation to the Permanent Council, the Minister explained that Canada has three goals in the region: "The first is to boost mutual economic opportunities, and we do this largely by breaking down trade barriers; the second goal is to strengthen security and institutions, really we want to have safer streets in all our countries, this is a fundamental requirement that each and every citizen is to be safe where they live and where they work." The third goal, according to the Minister Ablonczy, is "to foster lasting relationships by building stronger people to people ties."

“These three goals are supported by our commitment to democratic values, including respect for human rights, and as you know Canada is deeply committed to these," she added.

The Canadian Minister said the world has changed since the economic crisis of 2008 and added that while traditional economic powers are still struggling to get out of it, emerging economies, including several from the Americas, have already done so. “Recognizing the economic and geopolitical importance of the Americas, our Prime Minister (Stephen) Harper made it a foreign policy priority for Canada in 2007, not too long after we took government, to focus a lot of time and attention on this, our own neighborhood,” said Minister Ablonczy, “after all, the Americas is our region. We live here, we have many friends here, and this is where we want to put our focus.”

In this context, the Canadian Minister highlighted increased Canadian investment in the region, and said that at present there are 2,500 Canadian companies operating in the Americas. She said that 60 percent of all mining companies operating in the region are from her country, and added that although there is a perception that the owners of these companies are wealthy people, the majority rely on investment from people who buy shares and stocks in these companies, from mutual funds, retirement saving accounts and pension funds provided by teachers, workers, nurses and workers with few resources.

The Canadian diplomat stressed the importance of the Democratic Charter of the OAS and praised the work of the organization in its application. “The OAS’s ability to support and advance democracy in the hemisphere is one of its greatest strengths,” she said.

In his address, the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, said that the entry of Canada to the organization, in 1990, benefited the hemisphere as a whole. "Along with the political and economic benefits of that union came greater support for democratic ideals and free trade discussions as well as other social-cultural concerns,” he said.

“Canada’s commitment to the OAS has led to a stronger democratic practice in the region; moreover it has served to extend the development agenda in the hemisphere as well as to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability in the overall performance of the OAS,” added Secretary General Insulza. He recalled that five years ago the OAS and Canada signed an agreement to enhance Canadian cooperation in the region. “This initiative has undeniably enhanced the role of the OAS as the premier multilateral institution in the Americas and as one of the major forums for development cooperation.”

The OAS leader highlighted “the current OAS-CIDA Cooperation Plan that has provided the funding required by our General Secretariat to work with countries helping them strengthen their capacity to design and adopt public policies, legal frameworks and programs to promote competitiveness, productivity, and innovation as well as the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), particularly those owned by women, and their access to national, regional and global markets.” Insulza also highlighted Canadian support to the Electoral Observation Missions of the OAS and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

For his part, the Chair of the Permanent Council and Representative of Panama, Arturo Vallarino, said "Canadian initiatives in the Americas are well known, as is the commitment of the government of the country to the shared goals of the hemisphere and the purposes and functions of the OAS." "The support of Canada to the OAS and its members is greatly appreciated by the members of this Council," added Ambassador Vallarino.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The video of the event will be available here.

The B-roll of the event is available here.

The audio of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-132/13