We Either Lead, Or We Get Left

The G8 meetings may soon be in flux as new countries enter the talks or some are excluded. There are many possible options for future G8 meetings. Certain countries can be dropped to make room for others. Another possibility is that membership will be expanded to include the Outreach 5 countries- Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. Either way, Canada, as a leader in building international institutions, has a role to play in helping to reshape the G8 membership. Including the Outreach 5 countries will be critical in an increasingly globalized world, especially as they currently meet among themselves as a result of their frustrations regarding their current roles in the G8 summit. Furthermore, some leaders, such as France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, suggest that an Islamic Arab country should also become a member. Thus, the need for a united global forum is necessary, and unless Canada takes an initiative to make this happen, it unfortunately may find itself excluded from future meetings. – YaleGlobal