More than ever, Canada needs to remember its human security roots as it looks to navigate an increasingly complex world.

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Human security became a central theme of Canadian foreign policy during the 1990s and early 2000s. [Canada’s then foreign minister Lloyd] Axworthy pledged that “putting people first” would be more than a slogan, even while recognizing that the security of the state was still essential.

By 1999, Canada was leading a new Human Security Network comprising a coalition of governments, non-governmental organizations and international entities.

Axworthy was instrumental in obtaining funds from the International Development Research Centre to support the activities of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty that developed the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, which emphasized the responsibility of governments to protect civilians from mass atrocities.

Canada would later advocate for the creation of an International Criminal Court to hold individuals and governments accountable for the crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

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Three ways for Canada to lead on human security

  • First, Canada should consider appointing an Envoy for the Practice of Human Security to serve as a liaison between government, civil society and business. The role would serve as a point of contact for stakeholders seeking guidance on best practice as Canada looks to strengthen its presence in Asia.

  • Second, the concept should be reintroduced to elected officials, Canada’s Armed Forces and civil servants whose work focuses on the Indo-Pacific. Enhancing human security competency in the public service can bring new thinking to policy circles. This approach could serve as an exercise in creating empathy for strangers by adopting precautionary principles that promise to “do no harm.”

  • Finally, Ottawa should draft human security guidelines on how to implement Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. To do so, Canada should consider reinvesting in the Human Security Network by empowering grassroots entities to advance the concept with their counterparts in Asia through greater people-to-people ties.

As we enter a new period of political instability, environmental crises and seemingly endless existential anxieties, it’s more important than ever for Canada to lead the world by working to uphold the principles of human security and human dignity.

[Edit typo.]