Canadas Involvement in Defeating the Apartheid System Essay

Canadas Involvement in Defeating the Apartheid System - Essay Example It became more apparent when the South African government implemented the apartheid system. The series of events demonstrating the evil effects of the brutal policy had caught the attention of powerful and rich countries like United States and Canada. Together with the other concerned states, the Canadian government extended social, political, and economic support to the black people in South Africa. With its heterogeneous population, Canada was considered to have an essential role in thwarting the principles advanced by the apartheid system. The Apartheid System and its Justification The apartheid system refers to â€Å"the separation of races† in almost every aspect of life (Edwards n. pag.). Under this system, there is segregation with regard to the following: (1) education (2) medical care (3) transportation (4) housing (5) employment (6) voting and (7) public accommodation (Edwards). Its main thrust is to prevent the other races from enjoying the areas of life which are only meant for the white race. In the eyes of the minority white government, the implementation of the Apartheid policy is a necessary precondition in attaining a good political structure. The government believes that this objective is only achievable if there will be peace throughout the South African community. For the minority white, a peaceful co-existence will only truly happen if there would be separation of races (Edwards n. pag.). For them, there should be social, political, and economic segregation between the different races in South Africa. It would seem that the ruling whites are irritated and disgusted with the presence of dark-skinned individuals within the South African community. Apparently, the government uses the physical attributes of the blacks as an excuse to its inefficient delivery of essential public services. For the white leaders, good governance would mean racial segregation. In such case, it is their belief that a smooth flow of interaction between the various agencies of the government would only be feasible through the apartheid system. This is buttressed by the fact that the whites are the dominant race in South Africa when the apartheid policy was introduced in 1948 (â€Å"Apartheid Era†). Canadian Diplomacy It is a generally accepted principle in international law that if a certain issue is of national scope, the other nations are not supposed to interfere with the subject state. However, in actuality, there are national issues which need a worldwide intervention; the apartheid in South Africa is a good example. When the apartheid policy of the South African government became a global issue, many states extended their support as in the case of Canada. Just like the other concerned states, the Canadian government also tried diplomacy to defeat the apartheid system. Diplomacy, as an art of dialogue and negotiation, was used by Canada to gain support from the other states and weaken the government of South Africa (â€Å"Diplomacy†). The negotiation effort was personally handled by the country’s Prime Minister, Martin Brian Mulroney. Canada, represented by Mulroney, vigorously advanced the situation in South Africa within the Commonwealth of Nations; in turn, the organization supported Mulroney’s conviction and imposed a new condition for membership -- a state must at all times respect racial equality (â€Å"Canada’s Role†). Nevertheless, with such condition at hand, the South African government still did not dismantle the apartheid. Instead, it left the Commonwealth in 1961 and became a republic (â€Å"United States†