Bob Rae came to Queen’s not just to speak, but to join the community as its newest member of staff.
In his first public address since retiring from the role of Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae delivered a lecture at Sutherland Hall on Nov. 20. His speech, entitled “1984 Was a Warning, Not a Guidepost: The World We Are In,” was part of the School of Policy’s Donald Matthews Lecture Series.
Following the lecture, the Dean of Arts and Science, Bob Lemieux, announced that Rae will be joining the Queen’s Community as the next Donald Matthews Faculty Fellow in Global Public Policy. According to Lemieux, this three-year fellowship is designed to build bridges between academic theory and real-world practice and offer senior students the chance to learn from global policy experts.
The Acting Director of the School of Policy Studies, Eugene Lang, briefly introduced Rae before the address, describing him as “the best Prime Minister Canada never had.”
“Introducing Bob Rae is a daunting task, because his life and career are so enormous and so consequential,” Lang said. “[…] Throughout his entire career, he’s been sought after by governments in Ottawa and in Queen’s Park for his intelligence, judgment, wisdom, sensitivity and advice.”
Rae then opened his lecture by expressing his desire to have an intergenerational dialogue about the current state of the world through the lens of one of his favourite political thinkers: George Orwell. He proceeded to discuss a variety of topical global issues, including the current tensions between Canada and the United States, the situation in Afghanistan, the invasion of Ukraine, and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
He recognized the Israel-Palestine conflict as an issue that has particularly animated university and college students. Rae insisted upon the necessity of a two-state solution, one that recognizes both a State of Israel and a State of Palestine.
“These two peoples need to have their own governments and be living within borders and boundaries that are respected,” he said. “[…] If one country decides to say they think they can take more territory, or we need to say no, you can’t do that. There’s got to be two states.”
Rae also expressed this frustration with the recent domestic policy restricting the flow of international students into Canada. He argued that the “impulsive” decisions made by the federal government have had disastrous effects on both Canada’s international reputation and the economic well-being of domestic universities.
In response to a question from The Journal asking how the government should be helping universities recover from the loss of international student tuition, Rae suggested a formula in which tuition is allowed to go up while student assistance is simultaneously increased.
“We need to allow the universities to establish their own levels for tuition that they think are required to let them do their job,” Rae said. “And governments need to do everything they can to support students who can’t afford to pay rates that are seen by some people as beyond their means.”
Rae concluded his lecture with an argument against falling victim to pessimism during trying times.
“The trouble with deep pessimism and cynicism is that it prevents you from seeing the possibility,” he said. “It stops you from taking the human footsteps that will lead you to a better place, and prevents you from seeing the possibilities for change. That is why I believe it’s better to be an optimist than a pessimist.”
Rae stayed for a forty-minute question period after finishing his address.
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Bob Rae, Donald Matthews Faculty Fellow in Global Public Policy, Donald Matthews Lecture Series, United Nations
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