Food Governance

A friend just sent me a blog post by Stephan Leahy called “Blame Canada Part 4: What is Happening to Canada?”.

In the article Mr. Leahy makes reference to a quote from Joanna Kerr (ActionAid): “Wherever I travel in Africa people ask me, ‘what happened to Canada?”

It’s been a while since I have lived in Canada (coming up to 6 years) but I still identify as Canadian, pay taxes in Canada and thank my lucky stars for Canadian research agencies. However, attending international meetings since the Conservatives came into power (this is going back to UNFCCC COP 12 in 2006 ), being Canadian has been nothing but embarrassing.

I am most familiar with the negotiations at the Committee on World Food Security and they have been shameful. I have reflected on it a bit here. Country delegates pass sympathetic looks when they learn I am from Canada. Moans are audible in Plenary when the Canadian negotiators take the floor. I was in a meeting once where Canada refused to accept reference to human rights in any paragraph mentioning indigenous peoples: so much for our home and native land. Their only allies on that point were China and Syria *shudder*. 

Canada has pulled out of several important international treaties and blocked constructive negotiations. It’s gone well beyond being embarrassing, it’s enraging.