COLUMN: Viewpoint – Lessons from the Grand Slam

I watched some of the excellent matches that were a part of the Grand Slam of Curling at the Southeast Event Centre last weekend. It featured elite teams from many different countries. It made me think about how our world has become a global community with people from different nations establishing beneficial and rewarding connections.

The increasing racial, religious and cultural diversity of the residents of Steinbach, the city hosting the prestigious tournament, is another example of that connectedness. As people have immigrated to the community from places around the world, it has become so much more diverse and prosperous than it was when I was growing up there. The international exposure the Grand Slam event has provided Steinbach, may well serve to initiate connections with others worldwide, who wish to visit, start a business or make their home in such a vibrant place.

High speed communication and transportation make it easy for us to get together with those from other countries now, and the citizens of the world have become well connected in areas like sports, health, culture, economics, education, manufacturing and trade. We’ve learned that things happening in another country can have a huge impact on our own, and so we need to work together if we want to effectively address certain issues.

Perhaps that was top of mind for me during the recent curling bonspiel because the American president had just announced he was withdrawing his nation from 66 international organizations that work to bring countries together to address issues like child welfare, trade expansion, pandemic prevention, deforestation, peacebuilding, ocean preservation, mining and mineral development, cyber security, support for Ukraine, fighting terrorism and upholding international law.

The American leader has also withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord and dramatically cut aid to needy countries. His tariffs are an attempt to bring manufacturing and resource extraction back to the United States so it doesn’t need to depend on others.

Those positive qualities like cooperation and mutually beneficial international connectedness, which were on display at the Grand Slam of Curling are not important to the current American president. He’d rather get what he wants by force as he has done in Venezuela, and threatens to do in Greenland, Columbia and Cuba.

Our prime minister Mark Carney offers quite a contrast. Mr. Carney spends a great deal of time reaching out to other countries to create economic, trade, manufacturing and military bonds with them. Since taking office last March he’s been to nine major European cities, two American capitals, and to South Africa, Egypt, Korea, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Mexico to try and establish international relationships that will benefit Canada. Early in this coming year he will travel to India and China and sign a trade deal with Indonesia.

Mr. Carney recognizes that while countries may be competitive in a healthy way, they are also stronger when they work on mutually beneficial projects with a sense of cooperation, respect and good will.

Cooperation, respect, and good will were qualities I saw on brilliant display at the Grand Slam Curling event. After the matches we attended, I noticed competitors from all the teams take time to stop and smile and chat with some young curlers who had come down to the boards around the ice to say hello, and have their posters and programs signed.

What a great example the international group of curlers were setting for these kids, showing them how people from many different countries can come together to take part in something that is of benefit to everyone. I hope politicians around the world were watching and learning something.