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Ottawa Citizen

Today's letters: AI could radically alter bilingualism training in the public service

Article content So, some seven country leaders plus the EC leader met in a nice place in Alberta, a tough job for Mark Carney. He wisely invited a few more leaders to try to get a bit more balance in this group where five of the eight guests come from western Europe, an area that has lagged economically for more than a decade and does not have a common foreign policy. Article content At present, their economies are barely equivalent to that of China who is not invited. Article content It is no wonder that Donald Trump does not pay much attention to that group since he does not care too much about western Europe. In fact, nobody really does except the media and some traditional protesters. This group now is mostly a pleasant outing for some European leaders, with Japan tagging along Article content And what did they do? They could not deal with the major conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine, Israel-Iran and Israel-Palestinians, because the leaders involved in these conflicts were not there (apart from Volodymyr Zelenskyy who usually come to beg for more money and arms). So, the European leaders could only demonstrate their weaknesses by once again using 'strong language' and offering 'unwavering support.' Article content Article content The group did not achieve results in the trade war between the U.S. and the rest of the world either, because most of the rest of the world was not there and these trade issues are complex. Article content In contrast to his predecessor, Carney handled this social event smoothly and managed to get along with Trump, no mean task. This was the best that could be expected from a group clearly past its prime. Article content People who criticize inviting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 fail to understand the purpose of diplomacy. Article content Canada does not need diplomatic relations to deal with friendly countries. The prime ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom, for example, can phone or visit each other any time, discuss how to advance shared interests and any problems, then hand the issues over to their public servants. Article content Article content Diplomacy was developed so that the governments of countries that have real differences, that may be at war or drifting towards war, can communicate with each other frequently and safely. Then they can listen to each other, get a good understanding of the others' views instead of relying on rumours and the views of those who want confrontation, appreciate the dangers and seek solutions. Article content 'Punishing' a foreign government by refusing to talk to its leaders or expelling its ambassadors may satisfy some citizens, but our government was right to invite Modi to the G7, to have discussions with him, to keep most of them secret, and to restore high-level diplomatic relations. All it took was common sense, courage, and a phone call.