Yves Engler has laid out a difficult task for himself. Although most Canadians believe Canada’s foreign policy is built on peacekeeping and resolving conflicts, Engler is out to disprove such notions.
“I’m hoping that people learn to be more critical about what the Canadian government and Canadian institutions do around the world,” said the Montreal-based writer and activist. “I’m hoping to spur increased interest in Canadian foreign policy.”
Engler’s third book, The Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy, recounts the many instances when Canada fell short of its peaceful image abroad. Engler presented his findings at the Frances Morrison Library on June 16, as part of a cross-country book tour.
Some of the surprising — and sometimes shocking — charges in the book include Canada’s failed attempt to establish colonies in the Caribbean after World War One, tacit support for the apartheid regime of South Africa and helping to establish the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile.
Perhaps most daringly, Engler also asserts that former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson may be considered a war criminal for his diplomatic role during the Vietnam War. Pearson — who is the father of Canada’s peacekeeping image — is remembered as being against the Vietnam War but Engler believes his slight disagreement about the conduct of the war has been mythologized into an anti-war view Pearson did not actually hold.

With the twin intentions of fostering youth involvement in politics and promoting an environmentally friendly Saskatoon, the people behind 2008’s We Are Many festival organized an action summit for May 14.