We are a major World Expo nation. Montreal 1967 and Vancouver 1986 shaped our collective imagination, accelerated useful projects and showed the world a Canada that is open, creative and able to welcome others. Today, on the closing day of the Osaka 2025 universal and international exposition, we need to draw a simple lesson: yes, Canada was present with a pavilion, but it remains a non member of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organisation that sets the rules of the game and brings together 184 countries. In other words, we are applauding from the audience without taking a seat at the table. Rejoining the BIE would be a low cost, high return move for our diplomacy, our economy and our national narrative.
Regaining our voice and exercising our soft power
A country’s influence cannot be reduced to budgets or sanctions. It is measured by its ability to attract, to convince and to put forward solutions that are concrete, credible and appealing. That is what soft power is. Expos are one of the biggest non confrontational stages on which to exercise it: they bring together dialogue, culture, know how, ideas and experimentation. Without a seat at the BIE, we have no weight in the decisions that shape future Expos: the choice of host cities, themes, timelines and evaluation criteria. As long as we are not members, we deprive ourselves of a vote, of the power to take initiative and of the kind of alliances that matter for our creators, our artists, our universities, our cities and our businesses. As long as Canada remains on the sidelines of the BIE, no Canadian city can submit a bid to host a future Expo.
Living up to our status as a major Expo nation
We have the experience, talent and legacy to make a meaningful contribution. Expo 67 welcomed more than 50 million visitors to Montreal in six months and left a lasting mark on our cultural and urban modernity. Vancouver 1986 attracted more than 20 million visitors and reshaped the international view of Western Canada. Today’s Expos are not showcases for gadgets. They are living laboratories that test responses to contemporary challenges: climate and adaptation, materiality, resource efficient cities, health, digital culture and inclusion. Canada has credible strengths in all these areas. Bringing them to the forefront means having a seat where programmes and policies are shaped, not only setting up a pavilion when the time comes.
A small investment for a major lever
In a context of budget cuts, Ottawa decided in 2012 to withdraw from the BIE in order to save a modest membership fee of 25,000 dollars. The result is that we are now the only G7 country that does not sit there. This penny pinching saving carries a strategic cost: without a seat at the BIE, we cannot influence the choices that shape future Expos. It is true that in a tight fiscal context, every dollar counts. That is precisely why rejoining the BIE makes sense: it costs little, especially compared with the levers it can unlock. We are talking about an institutional contribution that opens the door to a decision making network, to a voice and a vote and to committees where concrete collaborations are put together. This is not a prestige expense; it is a public policy tool that connects diplomacy, trade, culture, tourism and innovation. Being a full member means being able to champion themes that matter for Canada, align our ecosystem with clear priorities and multiply partnerships that only emerge where decision makers meet on a regular basis.
Why now?
Because the closing of Expo 2025 reminds us what we lose by staying on the threshold. For 184 days, states, regions, cities, businesses, researchers and visitors exchanged ideas, presented prototypes and concluded agreements. Those that were members are already looking ahead, with a richer address book and shared priorities. We go home with great images and business cards, without fully capitalising on them. It is time to bring our presence into line with our ambitions.
In the wake of Osaka, rejoining the BIE would send a simple and powerful signal: Canada once again wants to imagine, to build and to bring people together. We have already shown that we can welcome the world and draw a lasting legacy from it. At the very least, we can help shape the way it comes together. To do that, we first need to return to the table. Let us rejoin the BIE.
Related resource: • La Presse, Joël Denis Bellavance, « Expositions universelles : Le Canada renonce à accueillir la planète »