Foreign Affairs

"I think too often ... in the past, we just went along to get along. If the equation is always that when things are really difficult, back down because this might upset this or that country, well, sorry. If everyone is talking around the issue, you get nowhere. Sometimes you've just got to ruffle feathers."
"[Condemnation of forced child marriage objection] I said no. I didn't back down. I wanted something about this issue in [a Commonwealth communique] and I said, 'Tell me wh- it's OK for a nine-year-old to get married to a 50-year-old. Explain it to me."
"Well, sorry, I came to this meeting and this is one of the only two or three things I am pushing [religious freedom] and you are not taking it out without talking to me. So I said I am not agreeing to the statement. We pushed and they put it back in. They may not like it, but they respect us for that."
"If we are supporting Israel to get votes, we are making some bad choices out there."
"[Standing with Israel...]I've travelled to virtually every Arab country in the Middle East and North Africa. I had the foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority come to Ottawa and call me a friend. We have excellent relations in the Arab world, and we now have a representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah. They disagree with us on Israel, but it's not an impediment to our relationship."
Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, Canada

Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, centre, walks in Kiev's Independence Square, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Emilio Morenatti

"I like Stephen Harper, I like being part of his team and I have no interest in becoming leader."

This is the expression of Canada's new world view rooted in the values that Canadians hold dear, in a culture of freedom, security, equality, pluralism, prosperity and the rule of law. And the determination to speak truth to power even if that power is that of the world's most influential political leaders. And to speak with conviction and principle of matters recognized as wrong whoever commits them, and to refuse to accept that those injurious actions can be or should be overlooked in the interests of harmony.

Or, at the very least, no longer shirking responsibility by making an effort not to give offence, by stating Canada's objections to objectionable actions or achievements meant to isolate, overwhelm, and slander others. Making a stand without making a fuss, just to ensure that those in the international community know unequivocally where Canada stands in the interests of justice and fairness in dealing with others. In this, John Baird, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade stands shoulder-to-shoulder ideologically with Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Whose own attitude toward world events and whose words have been taken up by his foreign minister. They share, the prime minister, and the foreign minister: "remarkably similar view[s] of the world. We arrived in government with similar views and we generally have the same gut instincts. We see eye-to-eye on the issues." Whether the issues relate to a commitment to offer gays the same protections under the law as anyone else, or to assure Ukrainian-Canadians that their concerns for Ukraine's plight is also Canada's fight.

Prime Minister Harper expressed his own views more than adequately on the world stage when he made the declaration that Canada is not interested in "trying to court every dictator with a vote at the United Nations or just going along with every emerging international consensus, no matter how self-evidently wrongheaded." And, standing at the United Nations, denouncing the "endless, fruitless, inward-looking exercises" and preoccupation with "procedure and process", bypassing "substance and results".

Mr. Baird prides himself on being careful to consult and being a careful listener to those whom he respects for their thought and expertise. And those whom he consults range from Janice Stein of the Munk Centre on Global Studies, to George Shultz, former secretary of state under Ronald Reagan, and David Miliband, former British Labour foreign minister, among others of experience and level-headed intelligence in assessing world affairs.

Critics of the government's more assertive stance claim this is an elaborate ploy to court votes, and cite the Government of Canada, under the Conservatives' expressed admiration and support for the State of Israel, as evidence that Canadian Jews are being manipulated to support the Conservative government. To which Mr. Baird points out that his Ottawa West-Nepean riding hosts 2,800 Jews and 11,500 Arabs and Muslims.

As for the 2015 election, he says bring it on. His prediction is for a tough national fight. His level-headed assessment of the strengths of the opposition betrays no evidence of partisan tooth-and-claw in this statement: "Thomas Mulcair is a very strong opposition leader, and Justin Trudeau has something Paul Martin, Stephan Dion and Michael Ignatieff didn't have -- a united party behind his leadership. So it is definitely moving into uncharted waters."