Canada, Post 9/11

The previous year, Canada had attained a record trade surplus of $85.3 billion and government officials were working hard to top that number again, an attempt that, despite the terrorist attacks, would prove successful. Ever since the end of the Cold War more than a decade earlier, Canadian foreign policy had been shifting more and more towards trade matters: By 2001 Canada was no longer able, or willing, to be involved in every peacekeeping mission that came along; more than $600 million had been cut out of its foreign aid budget since 1991; and several free trade agreements had been signed. The next step, says John Sigler, professor emeritus at Carleton University and former director of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, was opening trade to South and Central America. "Trade became more important for foreign affairs," Mr. Sigler says. "We'd been really focused on foreign trade. There was less emphasis on global involvement." "Canada continues to play an important role around the world," he says. "There continue to be other trouble spots and that's where Canada can step up. The U.S. can't do everything." http://www.embassymag.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2006/september/6/post911/

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