Stephen de Boer, LL.B. ’89 reflects on Canadian foreign policy and international (dis)-order
February 13, 2025
Photos: Left - Stephen de Boer, Right - Stephen de Boer and Professor Chios Carmody, Canadian National Director of the Canada-United States Law Institute
An audience of students and faculty heard that the world is becoming more complex and misaligned with Canada’s fundamental interests, said Stephen de Boer, LL.B. ’89, in remarks at the Faculty of Law on Februray 6, 2025. De Boer is Deputy Minister in the Privy Council Office and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister.
Mr. de Boer's lecture "Canadian Foreign Policy: Reflections on the international (dis)order" offered an insider's perspective on the current, fraught reality of international diplomacy. De Boer said that the electoral constellation in many countries, demographic shifts, migration and climate change are all driving these developments.
He shared that Canada needs to continue to assert the importance of a rules-based international order while working with like-minded countries in Europe, Australasia and elsewhere to advance Canadian and common interests. Further, he emphasized that Canada has a number of good relationships, a large landmass, peaceful domestic conditions and abundant natural resources to draw upon.
At the same time, de Boer added that Canada must seek to lead by example and remain cognizant that international institutions like the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization and the International Criminal Court may have to be ‘rebuilt’. During a generous question and answer period, he reflected on the value of his legal education as a diplomat and shared further insights on the road ahead for protecting the Canadian public interest on the global stage.
De Boer has previously held a number of key foreign policy posts at Global Affairs Canada including as Director General of trade controls, lead counsel for Canada’s climate change negotiations, and Canadian Ambassador to the World Trade Organization. The event was organized by the Canada-U.S. Law Institute, a joint creation of Western Law and the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, dedicated to discussing legal issues arising in the Canada-U.S. context.
