Canadian Foreign Minister Postwar Order Under Strain
AMANPOUR: Welcome back to the program. As president Trump arrives in Hamburg for the G20 summit, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says the United States has come to the question the worth of its mantle of global leadership. Forcing countries like hers to forge a new footing in a world where long standing practices are challenged. Under President Trump for instance, free trade. I spoke with the foreign minister earlier as she passed through London on her way to the G20 summit.</s>AMANPOUR: Foreign Minister, welcome to the program.</s>FREELAND: It's great to be with you Christiane.</s>AMANPOUR: Here we are on the eve of the G20, the President is in Europe. You have just written or made a speech to your parliament in which you said international relationships that it seemed imputable for 70 years are being called into question. Did you ever think you would have to make that kind of state? And what do you precisely mean?</s>FREELAND: Well, I think a lot of us are surprised at the extent to which the post-war multilateral order is seeming to creek and shake right now. And what a central point of my speech was really to remind Canadians how great that post-war international order has been. You know the past 70 years since the end of the Second World War for western countries have been a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Canada was very proud of our contribution to the Second World War and if the role we played in building up those threatens wood institutions. And what I would say to Canadians is these were great institutions. That rules based international order has really worked. Let's renew it for sure. We need to make it fit for perfect to the 21st century and that's going to take some work.</s>AMANPOUR: It seems the sub takes is you are worried like many other allies that the United States is abandoning its historic role in propping up this post-World War era. Even the Vice President of Iraq had the following to say to me, let's listen, about American leadership in the world.</s>AYAD ALLAWI, VICE PRESIDENT OF IRAQ: Areas (ph) of action when the overall leadership in the world and the America needs to speed up their -- to get after they realize an international power. Important international power.</s>AMANPOUR: What's your reaction?</s>FREELAND: One of the things I said and I really thought about this as I was writing this speech, is said thank you to our American friends and neighbors for everything they've done since the Second World War. Now going forward from Canada's perspective, the U.S. role in the international order is absolutely essential. You know, you're a journalist, I used to be a journalist. I watch your show. I read the papers. It's no secret to anyone that there were during the election campaign a lot of voices in the U.S. and in other countries too. We're hearing Britain we heard those voices in Britain. We heard those voices in many European election campaigns saying, you know, all this international world order stuff, that's only of concern to global elites. We shouldn't be focussing on these esoteric abstract issues. Do they really make a difference to me? And part of my argument that I made in my speech that our government is making to Canadians is absolutely they matter to you.</s>AMANPOUR: Given that this is coming about a month off to G7, when the allies, it can be reliably reported were disappointed by President Trump, whether it was his lack of commitment for Article 5 in NATO, whether of course the withdraw from the climate and all these sort of threats of trade and protectionism and the rest, what does President Trump need to do to repair, resolve, consolidate relations as you know, super power leader with his allies?</s>FREELAND: You've talked about Paris accords. And that announcement by the U.S. came after the G7 and what the prime minister said and I think what most Canadians feel we even had a vote in parliament that was very, very strongly supported supporting the Paris accords. We were disappointed by that U.S. decision. We as a government and really more broadly as a country really acknowledge and see the effective climate change and you and I spoke earlier about the importance of a rules based international order. There is no challenge which necessitates more international action than climate change, right? That something we all have to work on together. And we don't have a planet B. This is our only planet. And we have -- we have to protect this planet to together. So we were disappointed by that decision.</s>AMANPOUR: What does Canada think of this bilateral, this unusual thing that's going to happen between Trump and Putin? It's the first time in 2 1/2 years. And it comes as we all know amid huge tensions.</s>FREELAND: When it comes to Russia, the Canadian position is very clear. We are very clear in condemning the invasion and annexation of Crimea. We're very clear in condemning Russia's continued action in the Donbass. We are very clear in condemning Russian support for the Assad regime. And I think is important to say directly to Russia, to President Putin, that we believe Russia bears moral responsibility for that vile use of chemical weapons. What Canada believes is of course dialogue is really important too. I spent some time speaking with Sergey Lavrov the foreign minister at the Arctic Council meeting. That is a space where we have a shared interest. And you know, I think we really believe that when you disagree with the country, that's probably a time you need to engage more energetically.</s>AMANPOUR: So regarding Ukraine, that's going to be a big part of the meeting, we understand. And people are going to wonder whether Donald Trump is going to somehow signal that sanctions may be lifted. It'll some kind of softening of the Western position. I want to put what Sergey Lavrov said about recent interventions. "I have read and heard much criticism regarding our decision to join the fight in Donbass and in Syria. Donbass is in Ukraine as we all we know. Do you take that as an official Russian admission that they were there?</s>FREELAND: Well, certainly very interesting isn't Christiane. And I'm very glad that you're highlighting that and pointing it out. I think those were some very interesting words about the Donbass to hear from Sergey Lavrov. Of course it is no secret to anyone watching what's actually happening that Russia is very involved in the illegal activity in Donbass. And, you know, I suppose it's no bad thing to have that be publicly admitted. I think it's important to really understand why the Russian behavior in Ukraine is so wrong. And why it is so important for the west to take a strong position as it has done.</s>AMANPOUR: I want to move on to NAFTA. What does Canada expect to be the result of President Trump talking about ripping it up, doing this, doing that? What do you think is going to happen?</s>FREELAND: What all three leaders, what all three leaders NAFTA leaders have said, President Netanyahu, President Trump, Prime Minister Trudeau, is that we look forward to modernizing NAFTA has been around for more than two decades. As economies involved, trade agreements need to as well. Canada is a trading nation. We really believe in open trade and we believe that that benefits everybody and we really think -- we're optimistic about it. We see trade as win/win. Now having said that, our government is particular also acknowledges that there are real problems with how the 21st century globalized technology driven economy is working. And in a lot of countries, very much including Canada, people in the middle class have felt betrayed. And they felt left out. When people have that feeling, it's the easiest thing in the world to do, is to blame foreigners. You know, blame your fiendish trading partners or blame immigrants. Our view is that is profoundly the wrong answer.</s>AMANPOUR: Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, thank you much, indeed.</s>FREELAND: Great to talk to you Christiane.</s>AMANPOUR: So the G20 can always be relied upon for protests wherever it's held. And Hamburg of course is no different. Next, we imagine Turkish demonstrators making a statement by crossing part of their country on foot. That's next.