Experts urge Carney to launch a new Atlantic Charter without Washington

Summary

In August 1941, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, and agreed on eight short points that helped give birth to the United Nations and NATO. A new paper, A Middle Power Charter for a Troubled World, proposes a sequel. Its 12 authors come from across the political spectrum, and the paper was published by Carleton's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy.

The authors say the United States "no longer plays by the rules it wrote" and propose five principles, including a pledge never to use trade as an instrument of coercion. They name Japan, South Korea, Britain, Australia and New Zealand as founding partners, all already linked to Canada by trade agreements, and leave the door open to a future US administration that chose to adhere.

The paper lands days before Mark Carney meets Ursula von der Leyen in Montreal. The video notes that Carney has not signed on to the charter, and that the draft joint statement for the summit focuses on digital security, defence and resources. The EU is Canada's second-largest trading partner, and a majority of Canadians support closer formal ties with it.

Key points

• The 1941 Atlantic Charter had eight points and no treaty, yet became the blueprint for the UN, Bretton Woods and NATO.
• Twelve authors, across party lines, wrote the paper with three publishing institutions.
• The five principles include a pledge never to use trade as an instrument of coercion.
• Five proposed founding partners: Japan, South Korea, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
• Every proposed founding partner already has a trade deal with Canada, through CETA, the CPTPP or the Canada–Korea FTA.

Questions answered