FPA at the G8/G20 Summits – Part 1: Delegates Arrive and the Debate Begins!

This post has been posted on FPA’s European Union Blog and Latin America Blog.

FPA.org and the European Union Blog and Latin America blog is proud to blog directly from Toronto and the G8 and G20 meetings in Canada this weekend. Rich Basas, who is one of the principal bloggers and writers for both blogs will be blogging from the media centre of the G8/G20 this weekend. A daily post from the G8 and G20 will be posted on both the European Union and Latin America blogs as information streams through to the media centre.

Thursday June 24^th saw the arrival of many of the delegates to Toronto where the focus of local media was highly concentrated on a weekend of protestors and high security. Much of the local attention originates from a firebombing of a bank in Ottawa by an anarchist group a few weeks ago which has focused local attention on the large amount of security covering the venues of the G20 in Toronto, and the G8 in Huntsville, Ontario. Seen as a local political scandal, the over $1 billion being spent for security for the summit and protestors criticising local police over the lack of perceived civic rights in the city of Toronto dominates most of the Canadian coverage of the G8 and G20. Unfortunately, the issues coming out of the meetings have had very little discussion in local media, with the first announcements being made today, Friday June 25^th on a pledge by the Canadian hosts to commit $5 billion over the next five years towards children’s and women’s health.

Friday also saw the first sessions between the G8 members and other invited leaders from Africa, Haiti and abroad and the announcements by newly minted British PM, David Cameron and Mr. Obama on what will likely be the main focus of the meetings for the G8, being financial reforms and discussions on how to bring the EU and US economies back into a position of economic health and wealth. It is no surprise that all G8 leaders wish to avoid another Greek Tragedy and contagion after the stability haemorrhage of the Euro and whispers of economic collapse in the EU. Statements on the position of the G8 leaders and photo opportunities were taken in the first hours of the G8 in Ontario’s version of the Lake District as the leaders file in for a weekend of talk, which many experts believe will result in little movement on issues being accomplished. While costs and complications of official talks always produce little headway and cannot be sold as a fun Olympic or sporting event, face-to-face diplomacy is always going to be part of policymaking and G8 members will continue to spend more than they should on such occasions in order to be an active member in the world community. In addition, no one doubts the creativity of non-violent protestors and focusing global issues on one event, which likely brings more attention to issues than other smaller policymaking session. The weight of the international community in the G8/G20 forces the world community into debate with every significant leader in the global political and economic sphere meeting under one roof to form the future of our shared world, whether one agrees with the issues or protests those same issues, in a peaceful manner.

The international media seems to take the approach that Canada is a model of a country that has weathered the economic storm without having to give any major bailouts or have any bank defaults. While Canada has suffered economic troubles as well, it remains as one of the only Western countries to repel the worst effects of the economic crisis. A strong reason why the summit is in Canada is that the perception by many in the EU is that since the 1990’s, Canada has become a model of how to reduce debt and build a healthy economy in a country that shares a similar system and values as that of the EU and US. Much attention from the BBC has focused on Canada’s former Finance Minister and PM, Paul Martin, who is seen as the architect of Canada’s debt reduction and possible advisor to the EU in their current dilemma. While Mr. Martin’s skills in the EU has yet to be tested, the major talks during Saturday’s G8 and G20 sessions will be intriguing indeed, and hopefully produce a greater story than violent protests and the discomfort of local residents in Toronto. Tomorrow evening will feature the second part of the FPA at the G8 and G20 meetings. Thank you for your interest in FPA at the G8/G20!