As Canada's youngest-ever Prime Minister and a politician with a storied resume, Joe Clark is arguably one of our most esteemed and respected statesmen. Throughout his career, as Secretary of State for External Affairs, President of the Privy Council, Minister Responsible for Constitutional Affairs, and Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, he has represented Canada almost continuously on the international stage, earning a stellar reputation for far-reaching accomplishments in diplomacy and foreign affairs. When Joe Clark speaks to Canada's position on issues that extend beyond our borders, he brings an unprecedented breadth of experience with is commentary.
In HOW WE LEAD: Canada in a Century of Change, Joe Clark launches an impassioned argument for Canada to reassert its international position as an agent of change, diplomacy, and peace. Drawing on our history, successes, and the unique qualities that we possess today, Clark describes an ambitious but vitally important role for Canada - for the world's benefit, but also for our own.
"As power disperses in the world, so does the capacity to lead and, in almost every case, the most effective leadership will have to be shared, not only among states, but with other entities and, often, with citizens." In this scenario, Joe Clark asserts, the best approach should be "leading from beside." No longer will disagreements and conflicts be meted out using the hard power assets like military strength. Today's world calls increasingly for diplomacy, conciliation, and development - soft power assets - says Clark.
The cast of characters is also shifting, he notes. The traditional powers are not faltering so much as a diverse group of new emerging countries including many in Asia and Africa are growing in importance and power. Individual citizens, informed and at times inflamed by the Internet, are "less docile and compliant." Extremist groups are taking footholds in many regions and finding ready converts in the young, poor and unemployed. And a rapidly growing contingent of non-state actors - non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups and volunteers - play increasingly more powerful roles in the developing world and the development of international treaties and policy.
Clark holds that Canada's respected reputation is needed today more than ever before. Drawing on our diplomatic successes such on the Suez Crisis, apartheid, the Vietnamese boat people, the Tehran hostage crisis, the environment and several lesser know but equally instructive issues, Clark argues that Canada is in a perfect position to guide world politics through future challenges.
No fan of the current government's approach to international affairs, Clark examines how Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party have altered Canada's profile to that of a war-fighting nation and placed our diplomatic and development capacity in "a steady and deliberate decline." Worse, he notes, in a country that has thrived on vigorous national conversations, this change has been made without any corresponding public debate.
Volatile demographics, unemployment, natural disasters, and the dramatic decline in foreign aid threaten great masses of the world's population. Add to this scenario a mobilized, independent citizenry much less inclined to deference than in the past. Never has the world needed an experienced, trusted mediator more than it does today. Clark writes, "When control and command grow less effective, consensus and persuasion become more valuable."
Canada, says Joe Clark, has all of the qualities needed to step into a critical role of influence and leadership. "Of the range of opportunities open to a society like Canada, one of the most important lies outside our physical borders, in a world whose explosive tensions, and conflicts, and inequalities would benefit from the moderation, and initiative, and respect for others that have been among Canada's signature characteristics." The next step is simply to begin.
How We Lead is a work of vision by one of our country's finest leaders and statesmen. The product of decades of experience at the top levels of government and diplomacy, it is a rare and impassioned work that looks into a future that Canada is uniquely qualified to shape for the better.
About the speaker/author
JOE CLARK was elected in 1979 as Canada's sixteenth and youngest prime minister. During the Mulroney government, he served as minister of external affairs from 1984 to 1991, and as president of the Privy Council and minister responsible for constitutional affairs from 1991 to 1993. After several years away from public life, he was elected again to the House of Commons in 2000, where he represented Calgary Centre until leaving politics in 2004. He now works as a political and business consultant in Ottawa, where he lives with his wife, Maureen McTeer.
Faculty of Law Visiting Speakers Series talk:
Speaker: Former Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, P.C., C.C., A.O.E., B.A., M.A., LL.D.
Talk title: "How We Lead: Canada in a Century of Change"
Date: Thursday, November 28, 2013
Time: 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
Venue: McLennan Ross Hall (Rooms 231/237), Faculty of Law (111 st/89 ave), University of Alberta, Edmonton
In his talk Former Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Joe Clark will draw attention to Canada's slipping leadership role in international policy and international diplomacy. He will contrast Canada's past international reputation and present attitude when dealing with non-western states, and will gauge the Harper Government contribution to international discourse on matters pertaining to international trade, democracy and human rights.
The Rt. Hon. Joe Clark has just written a book on leadership, titled: How We Lead: Canada in a Century of Change. He will be travelling across the country to promote and discuss the book.