Liberals at the Border: We Stand on Guard for Whom?

Lloyd Axworthy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, rose to international prominence in the mid-1990s for his comprehensive campaign to ban the use of anti-personnel landmines, which led to the signing of the Ottawa Treaty in 1997 by 122 countries and his own nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In this wide-ranging lecture, Axworthy reflects on liberal values, Canadian politics, and the rise of U.S./Canadian border issues since the terrorist attack on the United States in September 2001. Axworthy’s distinctive voice shines through with personal anecdotes about his life in politics and his thoughts on Canada’s sometimes uneasy relations with its southern neighbour and largest trading partner.

Axworthy addresses many troubling issues, including the conflict in Afghanistan where Canadian soldiers potentially contravened Canada’s international treaties by handing over prisoners to the U.S. He also discusses Canadian territorial sovereignty in the context of U.S. ‘homeland security,’ as well as international inaction on conflicts in Africa that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

Dr. Axworthy delivered Liberals at the Border in March 2002 as the sixth annual Senator Keith Davey Lecture at Victoria University in the University of Toronto.