Submission on Canada's Foreign Policy (1994)

Introduction



The Bahá'í Community of Canada is pleased to present its views to the Special Joint Parliamentary Committee reviewing Canadian Foreign Policy. International affairs and our government's foreign policy are of keen interest to Bahá'ís. By virtue of its central principles the Bahá'í Community understands itself as a global community rather than a national one. Drawn from over 2,100 national, ethnic and tribal backgrounds, living now in every country of the world, the six million members of the Bahá'í Faith think of themselves as world citizens. At the same time, this does not prevent more than 20,000 Canadian Bahá'ís from being proud citizens of this country. Our abiding interest in the well-being of humanity derives from the Bahá'í conviction that only by ensuring the interests of the world as a whole can we guarantee a satisfactory future for the world's nations, our own included.



Canadian Bahá'ís are proud of Canada's record in international affairs. Our foreign policy has reflected values which are central to our national make-up: a spirit of moderation and compromise, support for democratic principles, and respect for human rights, social and economic justice, and the rule of law. In this statement the Bahá'í Community encourages the government to extend and deepen the Canadian commitment to building an international order based on equity, justice and the rule of law.



Today the world beyond our borders has more to tell us about the kind of Canada we will leave to our children and grandchildren than either our much talked about national deficit or our unending provincial and regional preoccupations. We are, therefore, pleased to note an increasing realization of the need to directly link domestic and foreign policy. As this century closes it is evident that the independence of nation-states is no longer an option. While preserving a necessary measure of autonomy, it is clear that unfettered national sovereignty must come into adjustment with the demands of global interdependence in an age that will be characterized by world unity and the increasing solidarity of the human race.