Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Support for the Commonwealth has been a cornerstone of Canadian foreign policy for more than fifty years.

The world has changed and the Commonwealth has grown and adapted.

But the essence has not changed: a community of nations, sharing common values, drawn from all regions of the world, from all religions, from virtually all ethnic groups, and with many forms of government.

All Canadians believe strongly in the Commonwealth. One reason is that Canada is unique among the nations of the world. Our population is a microcosm of humanity itself. Canadians know first hand the importance of democracy, tolerance, dialogue and understanding in living side by side in peace.

Our faith in multilateralism, and our conviction that economic, political and cultural barriers must be overcome is also simple common sense.

We are one world.

We in Canada feel this deeply. Responsible international citizenship is one of our proudest shared values. And the place we exercise that responsible citizenship is in multilateral organizations and sessions like this today -- the town hall meetings of the world community.

It is in these forums that we can make a difference in advancing human progress. For example, the Commonwealth led the fight opposing Apartheid in South Africa. And I am honoured to represent Canada at this, the Commonwealth Conference that welcomes the new South Africa into the fold, led by President Nelson Mandela.

We in the Commonwealth are committed to the fulfilment of fundamental political values. We are also committed to the promotion of social and economic development. These two principles are intimately linked for neither can flourish without the other.

In Harare in 1991, the leaders of our countries agreed on a remarkable document. The Harare Declaration sets out the fundamental goals.

The Harare Declaration recognized democracy as a fundamental value of the Commonwealth.

Heads of Government pledged their countries and their organization, our Commonwealth, to work for the promotion of democracy. But declarations, no matter how important, must be followed up with concrete action.

The Secretary General has acted with real courage in speaking out to express the Commonwealth's concern about developments that have violated our common fundamental values. He has worked tirelessly and quietly behind the scenes to encourage and promote respect for democratic procedures and institutions.

There are situations where, through the discreet use of advice and counsel, his influence as the Commonwealth Secretary General has been significant.

With the credibility and impartiality of the Secretariat, he has used "quiet diplomacy" to mediate problems within several member countries, and to avoid the intensification of conflicts.

The Commonwealth's support for democracy must also be open and public. Election monitoring encourages public confidence in their results.

Programs of assistance are vital to the institutions and processes of working democratic systems.

But as much as we value these successes, we need to expand the options for action available to the Commonwealth. We should agree to a mandate which will make both the Secretary General, and ourselves collectively, even more effective in working for democracy.

We should provide positive support for democratic processes and institutions. We must be able to react better to situations which challenge our fundamental values.

And our response should include practical assistance to help re-establish democratic systems.

And we owe it to the world, to ourselves as an international organization, and above all to the people who live in difficult situations, to speak out in one voice in the face of flagrant violations of democratic principles and basic tenets of justice.

The death sentence of Ken Saro-Wiwa is an example of the type of behaviour we all want to see abolished.

It flies in the face of what we stand for -- and it flies in the face of the spirit of the Harare Declaration.

We, the leaders of the Commonwealth can also play an important role in giving new life and new relevance to the United Nations.

We have already begun the important task of redefining the Commonwealth as we approach the 21st Century. I hope that we can, here in Auckland, agree that strengthening the UN will be an important priority for all our governments.

I propose that the UN representatives of all our Commonwealth countries meet together to assist the UN Secretary General in moving the process ahead.

Fifty years ago, in the ashes of the most terrible war the human race has ever known, the world began redefining itself and establishing the international framework to meet Post-War challenges such as global peace and de-colonization.

The results of these efforts have carried us for half a century. It is up to us, individually and collectively, to show the same type of leadership and courage that our predecessors had, to build on their accomplishments for the reality of today and the 21st century.