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October 19, 2003

Late last week, I was on the road in Alberta when I heard of comments from Mahathir Mohammed, Malaysia’s Prime Minister directed at the world’s Jewish peoples that can only be described as hateful, hurtful and deeply offensive (I won’t repeat what he said because I believe to do so only rewards intolerance). In my view, it is important to speak out against such comments – if for no other reason than to make clear that from Canada’s perspective, this is unacceptable. It is hate-mongering and it should be called out as such without equivocation. For that reason, I was pleased to see the swift reply of my friend Bill Graham, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

While it may not be the diplomatic thing to do, I believe it is also
important to point out that this is far from the first inexcusable outburst from Dr. Mahathir. For years he has used language that can be barely described as code with respect to Jews. And in 1999, he had his own Minister of Finance – my friend Anwar Ibrahim – jailed on trumped up charges simply because Anwar had done his job too well and had become a symbol of hope and optimism to too many Malaysians. In other words, he became a threat to Dr. Mahathir. Since that time, I have repeatedly added my voice to the howls of international protest but to no effect. My friend and former colleague remains imprisoned, suffering and kept apart from his family.

I don’t, for a second, believe that Dr. Mahathir’s actions or language
reflect the mainstream opinion of Malaysians. Indeed, I believe that they suffer his views, rather than embrace them. Hopefully, in time and through the grace of the democratic process, those who disagree will find their own voice. In the meantime, those of us in the international community who differ must continue to say so whenever possible.

I’ve just returned from visiting the B.C. Interior and the Maritimes where I had the incredible chance to witness communities pulling together to rebuild their homes, businesses and neighbourhoods.

In the West, fires ravaged wooded communities and reduced homes to cinders and ashes. And in the East, Hurricane Juan wreaked havoc on urban centres and farmland.

What was incredible for me to see was how, despite the fact that these devastated regions are separated by thousands of kilometres, they are completely in sync in terms of their indomitable team spirit – especially when facing these challenging circumstances.

It’s been a tough year for Canadians: We’ve faced mad cow in Alberta and droughts in the West, the closure of the cod fisheries on the Atlantic Coast and SARS in central Canada. Yet in the face of these issues, the Canadian spirit has manifested itself – and showed tremendous courage.

I have realized that these stories are emblematic of the energy that Canadians embody across this landscape. There is no doubt that communities are acting with great faith to overcome challenges today. And this is drawing the whole country closer together.

That’s the kind of energy the federal government has to tap into. That is why I want to work more closely with communities and provinces to help bring this spirit to forefront.

Last month I met with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo to co-chair a new UN committee focused on helping local businesses in poor countries. After that meeting some Canadians asked how I could balance my new UN work with my current campaign for the Liberal leadership.

I appreciate the question. It is precisely because Canada has a leading role to play in the world, that I believe any person who aspires to be Prime Minister must help develop innovative solutions to global problems. And the ideas behind this UN committee are an example of Canadian leadership.

We are a major donor country. But we have also come to realize in recent years that the cheques we write do not, on their own, produce all the change that poorer countries need. The gap between rich and poor continues to widen. So when the UN Development Programme set its goals for the new millennium, Canadians — along with others around the world — simply had to come up with more ideas.

Our attention turned increasingly to the kind of work pioneered by people like Hernando de Soto, a world-renowned economist from Peru. Mr. de Soto argues that the poor themselves have the ability to create real wealth for their own countries if they are free to mobilize their own assets through commerce. Mr. de Soto and his peers are talking about the kinds of businesses you see when you go to a village square on market day — something I try to do, as a rule, whenever visiting a developing country.

One of the chief differences between the industrialized world and the developing world is that entrepreneurs in developed countries like Canada have the chance to grow — and in doing so they create wealth for their communities. Local businesses in developing countries, on the other hand, are often held back because there are no strong laws to protect their property, no financial markets to fund their ambitions, and no easy way to distribute, produce or market their goods on a scale larger than the village.

All of these hurdles can be cleared, which is why the UN Secretary General asked me to join Mr. Zedillo in leading a group to explore what it would take to do the job. His call, I believe, recognized Canada’s ability to lead the international community on a matter of urgent global importance. Mr. de Soto was among those who agreed to join our group.

As far as I am concerned, this effort will only be successful if it advances the cause of small, local businesses in poorer countries. It is incumbent on us in Canada, who have so benefited from free enterprise at home, to open this new chapter in international development.

I spent last week travelling through Labrador, hosted by the region’s outstanding MP – Lawrence O’Brien.

We started in Happy Valley – Goose Bay, which is the site of a major NATO air force training centre. There we met a large group at the Legion Hall, and talked about a whole range of issues – from the future of the air base, to the state of treaty negotiations with Labrador’s first nations.

We visited L’anse au clair, which straddles the Labrador side of the Quebec border. It’s a gorgeous spot right on the Strait of Belle-Isle, “iceberg alley” as the folks there call it, within view of the island of Newfoundland.

And we spent some time in Labrador West, visiting the twin cities of Wabush–Labrador City, the source of most of Canada’s iron ore.

Labrador is truly a place where people punch above their weight, and it holds lessons for all of Canada. The smallest community we visited, Charlottetown, Labrador, has only 350 people, a small port and a gravel airstrip on the hill above town.

But the folks there have just opened their own, huge, state-of-the-art shrimp plant. The mayor, Ida Powell, saw that a shrimp plant would give her town and the neighbouring communities on the Labrador coast a real future on their own terms. They secured the business and built it.

I was most moved by a group of children who came to see us in the community centre there. They were all sitting in a group right up at the front. They wanted me to sign some flags, so I sat down with them and we chatted for a while. It only took a minute to see that they’re big dreamers too, just like their parents. There are kids like those, and towns like Charlottetown everywhere across the country. I’ve seen the same spirit in the far North, and on the Prairie too… I’ve seen it in little places in the B.C. interior and in the Maritimes. The fact is that Canadians want to build their own future. Sometimes we ask each other for help – which is as it should be — but no one in this country wants a handout.

Visits like this reinforce my enormous pride in Canada, and fuel my hope for the future.

Conversations, at town halls and in speaking with people from all over the Canadian landscape, keep subtly turning to the importance of early childhood learning centers.

It’s because so many of the problems that we see as “adult issues” – from labour, to homelessness and health care – are being recognized as issues that should be dealt with from the root up. That is, education for zero to six-year-olds is a crucial building block in the knowledge economy and ensuring that Canada has a strong social foundation.

While in Windsor for a hometown rally, I had the opportunity to learn more about the early resource center in the city’s public library. At this center, play is not only acceptable but encouraged, because it stokes in children a readiness to learn. It’s not a traditional school setting, but a place where kids are whetting their ferocious appetite for new experiences with toys that improve motor skills and coordination. Books are provided for the older children. Meanwhile, parents learn how to teach their kids and have resources on-hand – and even have access to an onsite assistant in the library.

The centre is situated in the inner-city and the programs are free-of-charge. This gives an opportunity for low-income families in the burgeoning city to let their children get a head start in life.

The federal government must work with the provinces, as it did with the National Child Benefit, to build a national childcare education system. We have the basic building blocks already!