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Canada Celebrates 20 years at the OAS

Minister Peter Kent: “Membership in the OAS forever transformed our relationship with our neighbors”

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) met today in a special session to welcome Canada’s Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), Peter Kent, in celebration of Canada’s 20th anniversary as a member of the Organization.

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, the Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of El Salvador, Joaquín Maza, and the representatives of various Member States highlighted the achievements and contributions of Canada towards the main objectives of the organization. Among them were mentioned its contributions to the establishment of the framework for the Summit of the Americas; the approval and passage of the Inter-American Democratic Charter; the elaboration of the Declaration on Security in the Americas, which creates a framework for multidimensional security in the region; the creation of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy, which was the precursor to the Secretariat for Political Affairs and provided Member States upon request with advisory services and technical assistance to support the preservation of democracy and strengthen democratic institutions and democratic processes, including electoral observation.

Furthermore, the financial support of the Government of Canada was highlighted, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), to finance the Organization’s initiatives in a variety of areas, such as the promotion of human rights, socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation, civil society, gender equality, and corporate social responsibility. In effect, Canada is the largest contributor of specific funds to the OAS.

“Canada’s 20-year membership in the Organization of American States has helped strengthen our organization,” Secretary General Insulza said. “Along with the members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Canada brought to the OAS its long tradition of democratic government, respect for the rule of law, and promotion and protection of human rights. While these principles always existed in the foundational documents of the Organization, Canada has led by example and insisted that they be put into action and be practiced by the Member States.”

Also, the head of the hemispheric Organization noted Canada’s reputation as “a voice of reason in the sometimes difficult debates within our organization and the hemisphere.”

Joaquín Maza, Chair of the Council, asserted that “Canada’s contribution to the democratic political debate among all of the members of this Organization is undeniable,” and described its contributions as “a voice always of calm and reason towards the search for consensus, towards the strengthening of democracy in our continent.” “With its active participation in the hemispheric debates, Canada contributes its singular and deeply rooted perspective characterized by the promotion of subjects of common interest, such as democracy, human rights, the peaceful solution of controversies, economic prosperity and development.”

The Canadian Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), Peter Kent, said Canada’s decision to join the OAS “forever transformed our relationship with our neighbors in the hemisphere,” and noted that ever since then, his country’s commitment to the Organization and the hemisphere “has only grown stronger.”

Minister Kent also said that Canada will continue to defend the integrity and independence of OAS institutions on human rights, and to participate in discussions on how the OAS can strengthen the implementation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, as well as to work to improve regional stability and face the threats posed by organized crime.

“The OAS matters,” Kent concluded. “It matters to Canada and I’m sure it matters to all of our fellow members.” “Canada looks forward to continue to work with our partners in the OAS to build a safer, more democratic, and more prosperous hemisphere in which all of our countries can flourish.”

The following Member State representatives also took the floor: Guatemala, Jamaica (on behalf of CARICOM), Paraguay, the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Belize, Colombia, Haiti, Venezuela, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Uruguay, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil.

Canada joined the Organization as a Permanent Observer in 1972 and became a full member in January 1990.

The Permanent Council session was held in the Simón Bolívar Hall at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, following a ceremony to unveil an Inukshuk—a stone structure the Inuit used to communicate messages—in the gardens of the Organization’s Main Building.

A photo gallery of the event is available here

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

Reference: E-427/10