G8 Research Group. Canada Objectives

Table of Contents

1. G7 Effectiveness
2. A Convention on Forests
3. United Nations Reform
4. Social Security
5. Africa
6. Land Mines

1. G7 Effectiveness:

Canada will push for the G7 summit process to retain a strong economic focus and maintain a strong ability to deal with a variety of global issues with Russia responsibly contributing to the latter (for example, Chernobyl close down and global forest convention.) Canadian interests will be no permanency of a G8 and no Russian inclusion into the G7 finance ministerial process.

2. A Convention on Forests:

Canada will push for a commitment to begin negotiations for a convention on forests to be completed within one year's time. What Canada does not want is a watered down statement on some form of future action but an honouring of the 1990 Houston summit commitment that "the convention . . . be completed as soon as possible, but no later than 1992."

3. United Nations Reform:

Canada desires a continuing strong momentum on United Nations reform. Canada will seek to maintain the financial viability of the United Nations Organization (for example, getting member countries like the United States to pay its arrears.) Canada will also reaffirm its support for United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's agenda.

4. Social Security:

Canada will seek G7 consensus on a common approach to reforming the components of the social security systems to aging populations, i.e. health and pensions, with an eye to establishing long-term financial viability -- by inter alia securing G7 endorsement of the need to act now to reform the members' public pension plans.

5. Africa:

Canada will push for a strong engagement approach to Africa that is broadly based and holistic. This approach will advocate conflict prevention, post-conflict peace building and good governance.

6. Land Mines:

Canada will promote support for the signing of a global ban on anti-personnel land mines which is scheduled to take place in Ottawa in 1997 December. To this end, Canada will seek to ensure that all G7 members attend the Ottawa mid-year follow-up conference in Brussels 24-27 June 1997, and endorse the value of this conference over the Geneva process.

Contributors: Ina Kota, Natalie Armstrong, Jason Krausert, Eleni Maniatis and Rebecca Goldfarb.

	This Information System is provided by the University of Toronto Library and the G8 Research Group at the University of Toronto.
	Please send comments to: g8@utoronto.ca This page was last updated .