Canada, U.A.E. to expand trade and investment ties in new deal

Okay, so let's dig a little bit deeper into this visit and the deepening of ties between the UAE and Canada. We're joined now by Costanza Mouzou in Ottawa. She's a professor and the director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you. What is your expectation from this meeting and the ongoing discussions between the UAE and Canada? What does it signify? Well, I think to best understand the meeting and the expected outcomes, we really have to place it in the wider effort of PM Carney and his government to diversify. We have already discussed this just a minute ago, and I would reiterate that really this is the frame to understand all those, the trips and the efforts. So priority number one is the one that Carney has already mentioned a number of times, which is diversification. How do you diversify? Well, you seek new markets, you seek new partners. But here comes the kind of squaring of the circle. How do you find new markets while maintaining a principled approach, while maintaining the priority and keeping the priority of human rights, worker protection, et cetera, et cetera? Well, that's not always something that can be done at the same time. And he's trying to find formulas that try to respect both. So the effort with the UAE is really to be seen in this idea of diversifying and moving away from even a frame of mind that in Canada has led over decades to a complete dependence, almost complete dependence on the American market. The UAE per se is not a huge market, but the symbolism also matters, as well as the concrete output, which can be a new market, a new possibility of investments, access basically almost tax-free for 98% of products and a variety of other baskets that can be potentially attractive for Canadians. You know, when we talk about a principled approach and shared values, something that is being discussed of some questions about Canada deepening its ties with the UAE as we talk about the human rights record, etc. I'm wondering, are there any nations that only pursue economic ties with countries where they share the same values or do all countries have to go outside of their principles and shared values in order to broaden their economic footprint? Frankly, I think this is a dilemma that all countries have. And the hard reality is that even countries with very strong human rights records and enforcements around the protection of human rights do find themselves having to have conversation with, you know, sometimes less than impeccable interlocutors. And obviously, we have seen in the past weeks a lot of chatter and excitement over Carney's effort to get closer to the European Union. Well, the European Union itself has had to have over, you know, the past decades, a lot of economic conversations with a variety of actors, some of whom have less than perfect human rights records. You know, so finding that balance between being open to having conversations and not narrowing down on one interlocutor and maintaining principle is really what this prime minister is trying to do. Is it ever going to be completely clear? The reality is that, in my opinion, it's not clear for Canada and it's going to be a challenge for Canada as it is for member states and the European Union as a whole. We cannot continue relying exclusively on the United States, where at this time human rights are also a bit of a question mark in some areas. Yes, and that was part of the question, too, is that why the same questions are not being asked as different countries pursue relationships, deepening of ties with the United States, looking for trade deals with the United States. And under the Trump administration, certainly there have been some questions about different rollbacks of domestic and civil rights and immigration, mass protests, the crackdowns involving ICE. So why do you think that is? Is that the same questions are not being raised when it comes to, you know, different countries seeking to deepen ties with the U.S. or to reestablish trade deals with the United States? I think you're putting your finger in the biggest issue, right? We are very, we as Canada, but broadly countries are very dependent on our categorization of who are the good actors and who are the quote unquote bad actors. in the international system. And the reality is that, you know, we need to walk away from those categorization. When we think about the United States, we also have to ask questions nowadays of, you know, those type of crackdowns that you mentioned. You know, we share, for example, as Canada and the United States share a preoccupation with immigration policies. Well, there are immigration policies and the desire to have lawful immigration procedures. And then there is the ICE crackdown and there is the family separation and the deliberate cruelty. You know, that is a violation of human rights. We've seen it on many levels. So I think we need to move away from certain paradigms. I would even call it a path dependency. That is what we've always done and that is what we will always continue to do. It's very uncomfortable. And I think the priority for the government must be to find a formula that allows us to also maintain our identity as Canadians and our priorities, including on human rights. And I'm sure you will have noticed in his welcome words, Carney, just 10 minutes ago, mentioned human rights efforts and support efforts in the region, you know, how to support Palestinian civilians, for example. Why would he mention that? It is because he's making this effort and he's trying to square that circle. How successful can any government be? That remains to be seen. Costanza, I want to thank you so much for your thoughts and analysis on this today. We appreciate your time. Thank you for having me. That was Costanza Mutsu. She is a professor and the director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. Thanks again.