Justin Trudeau positioning himself as 'dean' of the G7 is laughable

The Turd is laughable

Any politician can revise a strategic concept. It takes a statesman to follow through, including investing in adequate military capabilities

Article content

Apparently Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fancies himself the “dean” of the G7, based on his maturity, wisdom and … be quiet back there. This is a serious news story.

Not as serious as the one about the G7 communique lambasting China’s aggressive tyranny. That one reminded me of the time when adults were in charge. Which the G7 leadership does not always do.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not exactly a grownup even if he has found time to father more children than he can count. And French President Emmanuel Macron is not exactly a grownup even if he and Trudeau found time to pledge to strengthen “security co-operation and strategic dialogue in the Sahel” while “on the margins of the G7.” (No really; it’s what their press release said.)

As well as “making new commitments on gender equality at the Generation Equality Forum, and advancing equality, diversity, inclusion and the fight against all forms of hatred, discrimination and violence; promoting, in both countries and internationally, ambitious objectives for the protection of biodiversity … and for the fight against climate change and for carbon neutrality by 2050 … developing their cultural exchanges and promoting the Francophonie as an expression of cultural diversity and as a space for prosperity and democracy,” blah blah blah.

If they do all that on the margins, wait until they get into the room, along with Mario Draghi, Yoshihide Suga and Charles Michel. And if you have an opinion on them without Googling I congratulate you.

So what does the dean of the G7, based on his six years in office and ripe maturity at 49, think about China? We know, sort of, because the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) press release machine was going full blast at the time, as always, another simulacrum of seriousness churning out boilerplate like “Canada and the Philippines enjoy very strong people-to-people ties and a relationship built on shared priorities, including international trade, peace and security, and gender equality.”

So here’s the PMO’s take on the G7 summit: “leaders agreed to work together to address important challenges that all our people face, including ending COVID-19 and preparing for future pandemics, building a recovery that creates jobs and grows the middle class, fighting climate change and biodiversity loss, and advancing gender equality and democracy.” Uh, what happened to China?

Article content

To be fair, the summit emitted such a range of pompous rhetoric on such a range of issues that Trudeau could be forgiven for forgetting what any of it was. But on page 19 of its communique, it slammed China by name over “Xianjiang” and Hong Kong and on p. 21 managed to mention “the Taiwan Strait,” though not a country called Taiwan.

OK, maybe China is awkward for some reason. Like Canada turning into a narcostate driven by Chinese-made fentanyl, according to Sabrina Maddeaux in Saturday’s Post, while Trudeau busies himself pandering to identity politics. But what about Russia? What has Canada’s answer to Klemens von Metternich to say about Ukraine joining NATO? Why … nothing.

According to a story in Monday’s Post, citing a PMO readout of a phone call last week, Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “discussed Russia’s actions, and ‘highlighted Canada’s continuing support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.’ … Asked specifically whether Canada supports Ukraine having a membership action plan from NATO, a Trudeau spokeswoman said there was nothing to add.” And nothing plus nothing equals nothing.

Article content

By contrast, another story in Monday’s Post said that before the NATO summit even convened, the White House promised members would launch an “ambitious” set of initiatives so the alliance would continue providing security even after 2030. (I should hope so, since 2030 isn’t even nine years off now.)

Also, NATO’s 30 members would agree to revise its “Strategic Concept” to shape its “approach to the evolving strategic environment, which includes Russia’s aggressive policies and actions; challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to our collective security, prosperity and values; and transnational threats such as terrorism, cyber threats and climate change.”

Trudeau would like the last one, I suppose. And announcing meeting results ahead of time on behalf of participants. Though just possibly, U.S. President Joe Biden took the Nixonian step of making sure there was something the conference could agree on before convening it. And it did.

Article content

Still, any politician can revise a strategic concept. It takes a statesman to follow through, including investing in adequate military capabilities. Since Metternich wasn’t given to bon mots, here’s Frederick the Great: “Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments.” And Sir Humphrey Appleby: “Diplomacy is about surviving until the next century — politics is about surviving until Friday afternoon.”

Ideally to step forward as G7 dean, you’d make some effort to balance the two. Otherwise people might laugh.

John Robson: Justin Trudeau positioning himself as 'dean' of the G7 is laughable | National Post