Foreign Affairs Committee on June 2nd, 2026

[Gallit Dobner]

I'm sorry. I'll undertake to get a response for you. I don't lead on the OSCE, but I'm happy to get a response from you from the leads in our department.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

You would agree that because this is unpaid and essentially per diem only, we aren't getting the senior levels, like the heads of mission or deputy heads of mission. There have not been any real senior-level Canadians in the OSCE in the last decade.

[Gallit Dobner]

Again, I'll have to undertake to get a response to you on that two-part question. I'm happy to do that.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you.

In the same vein, when I was in Kosovo, there was a Canadian office, and it has subsequently been closed. I know there's been talk over the years of having an honorary representative, an envoy, a small office—something. If you look at other countries—certainly the United States—the presence there is significant. Canada right now has zero presence diplomatically.

I wonder if there's any discussion about having some kind of a representative, envoy or small office in Kosovo.

[Gallit Dobner]

It's important to say here that Canada is absolutely committed to peace, stability and security in Europe and in the western Balkans. Historically—we've talked about this today—Canada has played an outsized role in blood and treasure in promoting peace and stability in the region. We're still very active in a lot of different ways.

For instance, Canada is one of 11 members of the Peace Implementation Council steering board responsible for Bosnia and Herzegovina. We do a lot of military capacity building for countries in the region. We do programming to support governance and the rule of law through the various instruments we have here in Ottawa and at mission level. We absolutely do what we can.

In terms of the coverage for Kosovo, we're lucky to have an incredibly competent ambassador who covers Kosovo, but covers Kosovo from Croatia. Right now, we don't have embassies across all countries in the world. We have to cover some countries from other capitals. We rely on those missions to be our eyes and ears, and I know that our ambassador for Kosovo travels there consistently, reports in and represents Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you.

Next is MP Brunelle-Duceppe.

You have six minutes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Dobner, I love your title already: director general of Arctic, Eurasian and European affairs. I hope to have a title that long one day. You certainly have your work cut out for you with that job.

There was no mention of the western Balkans in the briefing book presented to Ms. Anand when she was appointed minister of foreign affairs in 2025. In terms of Canadian foreign policy, I don't know how much of a priority the Balkans are in your department. There's no mention of that region anywhere. It is, after all, a key region in terms of many geopolitical developments.

[Gallit Dobner]

That's a good question.

I'd begin by saying, as I've just previously stated, that Canada is still very much active in supporting peace, stability and security in the western Balkans. Has our focus shifted since the 1990s and the early 2000s, when the security situation was most acute in the region? Yes.

Canada, of course, doesn't have infinite resources, and we've focused our resources to support Europe's eastern flank—our presence in Latvia right now, for example, through the multinational NATO brigade there, and the support we're providing to Ukraine, where we judge that the situation is most acute.

There's no doubt that Canada provides less support than we have in the past, but the region has evolved. I would also say that with NATO and EU missions in place in the western Balkans and with the Europeans actively working with countries in the western Balkans on their accession, there is probably less need for Canada to play a role like it did in the past.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I understand perfectly. Given the geographic location of the Balkan countries, given everything that's currently happening with external forces—we've talked about Russia and China—and in a context where, geopolitically speaking, significant shifts are happening, I would have thought this would have been part of the minister's key briefings. Compared to the past, you're telling me that the priority and focus on the Balkans have changed. Is that correct?

[Gallit Dobner]

Allow me to address that question. Is the Minister of Foreign Affairs briefed on the situation in the western Balkans? Absolutely. Just because that briefing was not part of the book to which the member refers, it doesn't mean the minister isn't actively briefed on the western Balkans.

I can certainly attest to the minister being briefed on that and to preparing lots of products for her. I want you to rest assured that it's a region that Canada obviously pays a great deal of attention to and that our political leaders are briefed on regularly.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Canada also recognized Kosovo fairly quickly, a move that was commended by a number of our allies, by the way.

What was the basis for the Government of Canada's decision when the time came to recognize Kosovo as a country? What were the criteria? When a government recognizes a new independent country, it necessarily relies on certain criteria. What were the criteria for recognizing that country?

[Her Excellency Jessica Blitt, Ambassador of Canada to Croatia and Kosovo, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development]

I'd be happy to answer your question.

It's certainly true that, when this happened, it was in a truly significant context. It was after the war, after the intervention. As we have said, Canada was very active during that period. We recognized the importance of managing Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic integration. We understood that it was important for Kosovo to be part of the international community as a country.

We also had significant ties with Kosovo, both during the war and after the war with the arrival of refugees. We saw that the democracy that was beginning at that time would continue. That was something we wanted to manage and support.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I understand, but aside from the fact that we had ties with Kosovo and considered that important, there is always a path to independence that must be legitimized through international recognition of the country. Now, when I talk about criteria, I'm obviously referring to the means that country used to achieve independence.

When it comes to recognizing a country internationally, what criteria does Canada use to recognize that country in light of the means it used to achieve independence? Do you understand what I'm saying?

[Gallit Dobner]

If I may say, it's not every day that Canada recognizes a new country.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Gallit Dobner]

I apologize, as I don't mean that in a flippant way at all. It's a great question, but we don't have a fixed set of criteria. I'd say it's case-by-case, because it's fairly unique and specific to the circumstance.

I wouldn't be able to identify for you a set of criteria that are—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

What criteria does Canada use when it comes to recognizing a new country?

No one here can answer my question, despite your rather important positions.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

I think we have experts on this region, the Balkans. They are not necessarily experts on the issue of how to recognize an independent country. I think Ms. Dobner said as much—that this isn't something that happens every day.

I think this is clearly an issue of great interest to my colleague across the way. We can certainly try to find someone who could provide answers to that question, if the people who are here can't do so.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Chair, I'll respond to the point of order raised by my colleague, whom I very much appreciate and who gives us plenty of time during question period.

When you're an ambassador to a given region and you're unable to provide the criteria that led to the recognition of the country you're serving in, I find that rather peculiar. What I'm being told is that they're unable to answer my question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

I have given you more time than was allotted, so we'll go to the next person.

MP Ziad Aboultaif, you have five minutes.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Welcome, ambassadors.

Director Michelle, it's good to see you again after 10 years.

Canada's legacy in the region stems from when Major-General Lewis Mackenzie, in 1992-93, was the first commander of the United Nations Protection Force. That legacy left Canada with a big responsibility to carry forward its role in the region, although we have many players there—Russia, China—and in the surrounding area. The Balkans have always been a place where conflict takes place and becomes a concern—not just for the region, but obviously for the world.

If we were to assess the situation now compared with 10 years ago, how do you see it?

Michelle, maybe you can take this.

[Michelle Cameron]

You're right that Canada has a strong legacy there, whether we look at military engagement, development, humanitarian assistance or political engagement in the region. A testament to that is the number of Serbian Canadians, or other folks from the region, we have in Canada. That is a testament to our humanitarian side of things.

When we look at our engagement over the years, as Ms. Dobner said, we have shifted our priorities. We don't ignore our history; we're proud of it and the region is proud of it, but there are times when you have to realize where your core competencies can be leveraged. That is not to say they can't be in the western Balkans, but when we look at all the geopolitical challenges of our time and across the world, we continue...through a variety of means over the last 10 years. If you look at strict numbers and see a drawdown of some of our troops and programming, over the last 10 years we've engaged very strategically—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

While I was speaking and asking questions earlier, I was distracted by discussions on the Liberal side. I don't understand; this is the first time this has happened to me at this committee. Now there are questions for the witnesses from a member of the Conservative Party, and it continues. I find this somewhat disrespectful to the witnesses.

To my Liberal colleagues, if you want to have conversations among yourselves, step out of the room. That's two turns in a row. If you're not interested, please leave the room. Otherwise, listen to the witnesses. They've come here for us today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you for pointing that out. I think members have understood your point.

[Michelle Cameron]

I'll focus on Serbia, and then I'll pass the floor to Ms. Dobner to add anything regionally speaking.

We've continued very specific and targeted programming to enhance and encourage human rights records and democratic reforms across the region. We have lent our voices to the EU and other western countries that have other carrots and sticks to use in the region. We've done very targeted advocacy. I think we've used the tools in our tool kit as we pivot or reprioritize some of our resources. We really have, over the last 10 years, used targeted tools to assist them in their democratic reforms.

Maybe Ms. Dobner wants to add something from a broader view of the region.