International issues affect every aspect of our lives, from the cost to keep our homes warm and our stomachs full, to the quality of the air we breathe or the water we drink, to the jobs we can find and the wages we will be paid. Global trends affect domestic decisions and, in turn, domestic decisions affect Canada’s actions internationally. Yet few Canadians see these direct effects, and fewer feel they have a role in shaping them.

   

The fundamental driving force behind the Canada’s World project is the conviction that this has to change. More importantly, we believe it can change. There is a new awareness that ripple effects connect all parts of the international system. The popular concern with issues like climate change and terrorism has created an opportunity to mobilize citizens around global issues.

The spreading realization that we may share one common fate both compels and empowers us to rethink the scope of social change. Citizens have new opportunities to shape policy now – new opportunities to form coalitions, and to find strength in numbers. When it comes to international policy, we need to organize around the issues that matter to us, and the connections that make collective action possible.

  
Canada’s World will begin organizing citizens, principally through starting a great conversation – the kind that allows you to decide what action is necessary, that takes you out of the confusion surrounding complex issues and brings clarity. We’ll be introducing signal to the noise surrounding international issues, helping Canadians decide which issues matter most, and what values should guide our search for solutions.

And when that’s all done, we will act. But first we need to understand the values that can give impetus and direction to this action.

Still curious? Read our extended rationale.