Canada-South Africa Relations: A Critical Examination

What if this assumption is flawed? What if the goals of the Canadian state are not so benevolent but, rather, are rooted in the imperatives of the Canadian capitalist project, which began in the French and British colonial occupation of this land? This would require a very different kind of examination of Canadian foreign policy, which would measure not just the outcomes of Canadian policy but also its motivations. This assignment will ask you to conduct just such a study.

Canada's Foreign Policy and Goals

Canada is a well-intentioned contributor in the international affairs and has advanced policies by harmonizing needs with the practical deliberation of the needs of the others. The country can pass or fail at effectively balancing those interests but the Canada’s good intentions are never probed. Canada is an active participant in international affairs, develops policies by balancing its needs with a reasonable deliberation of the needs of the others. The country can succeed or fail at balancing its interests but its good intentions are never questioned. This report examines the Canada’s relationship with South Africa. The goals of the Canada state are not so generous but are embedded in the essentials of the Canadian capitalist project. Canada was a colony of the British Empire until 1931. And there was no foreign policy till then. The foreign relations of Canada are the relations with other governments and peoples.

The colonialism pursues to replace the original population of the colonized land with the original society of colonisers. The colonialism in Canada is better understood as indigenous peoples who are forced to disconnect from land, culture and community. It has roots in the Canadian history and is alive even today. The colonialism can be defined as a policy where a political influence from one land exercises regulator in the diverse territory. It comprises unequal power relations. The colonization prospered between the 1400s and 1800s as European countries took terminated the America, Africa and some other nations. The first colonialism was experienced in Canada as Europeans aggressively took lands from the indigenous people and later outnumbered them. They took over land and used for the purpose of farming and mining. Canada’s laws and policies have been used as the tools of colonization. Canada’s confronts its history of colonization and the renunciation of indigenous peoples and the denial of indigenous peoples along with the rights.

The bilateral relations are shared between Canada and South Africa. It can be evidenced in 1939 when both the countries sustained constructive engagement at consensual and multilateral levels. Canada formed diplomatic relations with South Africa in the year 1939. Canada has established a high charge in Pretoria and a trade office in Johannesburg. On the other side, South Africa has maintained a high charge in Ottawa, a consulate-general in Toronto. Both of the countries maintain a deep and extensive relationship centred on the communal morals of democracy, safety, and opulence. Canada’s anti-apartheid efforts in the 1980s and assistance to the formation of the multi-ethnic, multi-racial, democratic society in South Africa has reinforced the links between countries. Canada also efforts in 1994 to enhance the formation of multi-ethnic, racial and democratic society of South Africa.  Both of the countries are former British colonies and shares a similar culture. The relationship of Canada and South Africa has been responsive and positive. Even post 1994, Canada reinforced South Africa on a wide range of multilateral organizations. Afterwards, both of the countries are working closely on the important substantial issues. Both of the two countries even worked thoroughly on the significant multifaceted issues.  It is to be noted that South Africa’s composition and bill of rights were drawn profoundly in 1996 to draw severely on the charter rights and liberties. Canada and South Africa both are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. The South Africa’s 1996 composition and Bill of Rights appeal severely on Canada’s charter of privileges and autonomies. Canada subsidised a lot of capacity building for the new self-governing South Africa. Canada even helped South Africa as consultants in putting together the papers which are essential to run a new country. Canada revised its constitution in the 1980s so it was fresh and brought experts in the South Africa. The experts of both countries worked together in drafting the democratic constitution of South Africa. In order to coagulate and improve associations between Canada and South Africa, both the countries embrace annual two-pronged consultations on the trade, foreign policy and enlargement issues. These sessions undertakes matters like investment, mining, education, youth advancement and defence relations. Both Canada and South Africa are exasperating to work towards a safe world. Canada was seen as observer in AU Summit. South Africa is helping in find out the security defies on the region. Both of the countries has also even employed various agreements and are expected to sign further in the near future. It covers areas like space agencies collaboration, nuclear industrial cooperation along with the science and technology. Both of the countries are active members of the various multilateral organizations comprising Commonwealth and G20. These countries even collaborate on important issues like women’s empowerment, regional security, environment, and climate action. The strategic bilateral consultations are held by Canada and South Africa comprising issues like foreign policy, innovation, trade and investment, service and technology, climate change, education, and culture. Canada has supported South Africa in the zones of development and has strengthen the services provided by the government. The bilateral consultations between both the countries are held annually. It typically focuses on the trade, foreign policy, defence and economic development. The Canadian government has assisted to the South Africa on the issues like service delivery with a focus on the poor. The government has built formal capacity of the South African government along with the civil society organizations. The Canadian government improved management of the natural resources in the South Africa. It even endorses a high level of skills, ethics and integrity within the government. South Africa is a main entrance to the African market whereas the country is one of the Canada’s utmost substantial political and viable associates in Africa (Akuffo, 2016). South Africa is acknowledged as a developing market with the extensive Canadian interest in the Canada’s action plan launched in 2013. It represents that Canada views South Africa as a nation for viable relations to undertake many diverse sectors. As per the 2014 trade statistics between both the countries exposed that Canadian exports to South Africa amount to $439,256,338 whereas imports amounted to $1,104,140,558. As a result, South Africa enjoyed a trade surplus of $664,884,220. The upsurge in the total trade between the two countries is even more significant. The credit agency has been also set up in Johannesburg by Canada which is the national credit assistance for the export advancement (Hurrell, 2016). It is a kind of credit facility. It is a bank which enables sponsorship to those who want to import or do trade with the Canadian companies (Vandenbosch, 2015). It indorses trade and investment amongst Canadian business and South Africa. The foreign policy of Canada includes the following factors:

Canada's Colonial History

International Assistance: Canada contributed significantly towards the development policy and legislative framework aiming to guide South Africa’s evolution to equality in the 1990s. Canada offers scholarship and training opportunities to South Africa after finishing their studies in Canada. So that the students can apply learning skills in the home country (Labonté, et. al. 2015). The internships programmes are also funded by Canada and the Canadian youths are openly involved in South Africa by subsidising to the work of the local organizations in the sectors like media, education, and justice (Ogunnubi & Okeke-Uzodike, 2015).

Commercial relations: South Africa is a prime destination for the Canadian goods and services. It has been noticed that Canada is a substantial stakeholder in South Africa. The investments which are concentrated by Canada are mineral, mining sector, transportation, hospitality, food processing, information and communication technologies. Canada and South Africa both shares history of the cultural cooperation (Alden & Aran, 2016). It is evident by South Africa’s first audio-visual co-production agreement with Canada. The trade and investment between both the countries are facilitated by a Memorandum of Understanding and a double taxation agreement. In 2015, the export development Canada formed its permanent office in Johannesburg to help Canadian companies to make use of the business opportunities in South Africa (Shaw, 2015).

Add on Canada and South Africa has signed various contracts and are anticipated to sign more in the next years comprising areas like space agencies collaboration, nuclear Industrial Corporation and technology. On the other side, South Africa is a middle-income country and surfaces development challenges like requirement to moderate social inequality and enhance access to service delivery to the ostracized populations (Cornelissen, Cheru & Shaw, 2016). Canada’s support has been focused on supporting South Africa to address such encounters by firming the South Africa’s public organizations. Canada has been functioning with the dominant government assistances, non-government organizations along with the private sector to advance package delivery, specifically for poor and susceptible populations particularly women, children and youth (Van der Merwe, Taylor & Arkhangelskaya, 2016). Canadian government is structuring official capacity of South African government and civil society partners in order to encourage superior responsibility, transparency and approachability. It also increases the capability of the local and national institutions in order to succeed natural resources in a justifiable and liable manner. The Canadian government even endorse and sustain high standard skills, competence, morals and uprightness at all the levels of the government (Holsti, 2015). Most prominently, Canada is supporting South African National Development plan in order to make South Africa an improved operating state and government for its people.

The relationship of Canada and South Africa is best characterized as indecisive and at arm’s length. Canada needs to rise its political engagement with South Africa as it can be a strategic partner in meeting goal of Canada in increasing trade on the continent (Shaw & Swatuk, 2016). Add on Canada can engage politically with the institutions like African union. South Africa can be helpful to the Canadian foreign policy objectives if the government invests in some traditional diplomacy (Adar, 2018). Canada’s general political disengagement from Africa has cost in the terms of the ability to influence African leaders. 

References 

Adar, K. G. (Ed.). (2018). Globalization and emerging trends in African states' foreign policy-making process: a comparative perspective of Southern Africa. Routledge.

Akuffo, E. A. (2016). Canadian foreign policy in Africa: Regional approaches to peace, security, and development. Routledge.

Alden, C., & Aran, A. (2016). Foreign policy analysis: new approaches. Routledge.

Cornelissen, S., Cheru, F., & Shaw, T. (Eds.). (2016). Africa and international relations in the 21st century. Springer.

Holsti, K. J. (2015). Why nations realign: Foreign policy restructuring in the postwar world. Routledge.

Hurrell, A. (2016). Regional powers and the global system from a historical perspective. In Regional leadership in the global system (pp. 27-40). Routledge.

Labonté, R., Sanders, D., Mathole, T., Crush, J., Chikanda, A., Dambisya, Y., ... & Bourgeault, I. L. (2015). Health worker migration from South Africa: causes, consequences and policy responses. Human resources for health, 13(1), 92.

Ogunnubi, O., & Okeke-Uzodike, U. (2015). South Africa's foreign policy and the strategy of soft power. South African Journal of International Affairs, 22(1), 23-41.

Shaw, T. M. (2015). African agency? Africa, South Africa and the BRICS. International Politics, 52(2), 255-268.

Shaw, T. M., & Swatuk, L. A. (Eds.). (2016). The South at the End of the Twentieth Century: Rethinking the Political Economy of Foreign Policy in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. Springer.

Van der Merwe, J., Taylor, I., & Arkhangelskaya, A. (Eds.). (2016). Emerging Powers in Africa: A New Wave in the Relationship?. Springer.

Vandenbosch, A. (2015). South Africa and the World: the foreign policy of apartheid. University Press of Kentucky.