Geoffrey York on the bold new money-making mission that the Harperites have given to Foreign Affairs: The Conservative government’s new strategy of economic diplomacy is largely just a formalization of what its diplomats have already been quietly doing on the ground in places like Africa. While the government complains that its diplomats in tweed jackets should be buying business suits and devoting themselves to trade deals, the reality is that Canadian diplomats have been focusing on business and trade for years already, under heavy pressure from Stephen Harper’s government. ... Canada is keen to explore opportunities to realize the full economic potential of trade with Kenya and the East African Community, especially for Canadian natural resource companies, which are becoming leaders in the Kenyan mining and oil and gas industries, Mr. Baird’s office said after he visited Nairobi this year. Mining is the biggest Canadian industry in Africa, with more than $30-billion in Canadian investment, and has become a key focus of Canadian diplomacy in the continent. Canadian ambassadors and mid-ranking diplomats are often prominent at African mining conferences, and Canadian foreign-aid money has begun flowing into partnerships with Canadian mining companies in Africa. theglobeandmail/news/world/in-africa-canadas-economic-diplomacy-is-nothing-new/article15626046/
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 00:55:59 +0000
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