Canadian Foreign Policy Essay

For those looking at Canada from an outside perspective they may assume that Canada had a long political fight with its British motherland to gain its patriation given their ties from colonialism. However, that was not particularly the obstacle Canadians had, provided that the Statue of Westminster gave Canada its opportunity in 1931. In fact the obstacles Canadians had at the time were other provinces failing to agree with one another on how to proceed from there on. Only in 1982 were these disagreements resolved. However, this paper is not focusing on how it was resolved, because much of that is well-known. This paper will focus on why it took Canada so long to patriate by examining failed attempts on agreeing on the domestic amending formula.

The Canadian foreign policy of the 1930s has been a subject of scholarly inquiry for quite some time .In this paper, we compare the readings of Norman Hillmer,"Defence and Ideology: The Anglo-Canadian Military Alliance in the 1930's "Eayrs, James " A low Dishonest Decade" : Aspects of Canadian External Policy, 1931-1939.

Opposing the belief that a dominating leader is running Canada, Barker brings up several key realities of the Canadian government. He gives examples of several “… instances of other ministers taking action that reveal the limits prime-ministerial power,” (Barker 178). Barker conveys the fact that Canada is not bound by a dictatorial government, “…it seems that the prime minister cannot really control his individual ministers. At times, they will pursue agendas that are inconsistent with the prime minister’s actions,” (Barker 181). Both inside and outside government are a part of Canada and they can remind the prime minister that “…politics is a game of survival for all players,” (Barker 188). Barker refutes the misinterpretation of the Canadian government by acknowledging that a prime-ministerial government existing in Canada is an overstatement.

A survey published in 1982 by the Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that “relations between the U.S. and Canada have become more strained that at any time in recent memory”. Over the course of Pierre Trudeau’s last term in office, the temperature of Canada’s most important foreign relationship had plunged from chilly to icy. This deep freeze inflicted real costs on Canadians. By 1984, the terms of trade were turning against Canadian raw-materials exports, and Canadian manufacturers faced an intensifying threat of protectionism in Congress. With Centre-right governments in power in Washington, London and Bonn, Canada found itself isolated, its interest disregarded, its opinions openly scoffed at. The U.S. saw the Trudeau “peace initiative” as the “pot-induced behavior of an erratic leftist”. Brian Mulroney set himself to restore Canada’s reputation as a respected and reliable partner. He succeeded---and then

In 1914, Canada was a British colony as it had been a part of the British Empire ever since the 1600’s, with a majority of Canadian citizens being of British descent. But, with Canada’s participation in World War I on the front lines and domestically, Canada repeatedly proved that “colony” is not something that should be used to describe itself. Despite some of the costs, Canadians took it upon themselves to show the Allies and the Germans who they truly are. We emerged from the war, as not only independent of British control, but also as a major global superpower due to the Allies’ military dependence on us, the economy developing skyward and full jurisdiction in foreign affairs.

Pierre Trudeau is one of the iconic leaders that Canada ever has had due to his charismatic personality, revolutionary ideas and beliefs. He became the 15th Prime Minister of Canada in 1968 but was appointed as the parliamentary secretary in 1966 and Minister of Justice and Attorney General by Lester B. Pearson before going into office. The reasoning behind his desire to go into politics was to deal with domestic issues. The current Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau is often compared to his father, Pierre Trudeau since Pierre made an impact in this country. Pierre Trudeau left a legacy.

Beloff, M., & Spencer, R. (1960). Canada in the World Affairs: From UN to NATO, 1946 to 1949. The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science, 26(2), 345.

At the end of the Great War, Canada plunged into economic darkness; the once-powerful war industry was no longer needed and factories shut down all over the country, causing unemployment for civilians and veterans alike to skyrocket. This reflected on the military of Canada; vehicles that were destroyed were not replaced; the number of permanent forces and militia barely grew. Canada’s military saw a period of inactivity that would even cause land, sea and air components merged as a singular entity due to the Great Depression’s effect on the military budget. However, the peace was not to last. As Adolf Hitler’s Germany appeared and showed the world its intentions, nations gathered and Canada committed an important act demonstrating its independence as a nation; Canada declared war. Viewed for a long time as a British colony even after Confederation, Canada took a stand against a virtually universally-recognized evil alongside the major powers of the world at the time. Canada’s participation in conflicts in many different operations throughout WWII demonstrated its military effectiveness, but its important role in the D-Day landings defined Canada’s military competency through the crucial Operation Overlord, dubbed by some as the beginning of the end of the Second World War, in Normandy. Canada’s role in Operation Overlord in Normandy solidified the military structure that is our modern military and sculpted the image of an independent nation through Canada’s military

Canada’s development from colony to Dominion included a gradual shift to self-determined decision making in foreign policy. From Confederation until 1946 there was never a separate External Affairs minister: from the department’s founding in 1909 the prime minister always retained the portfolio. Between 1946 and 1948 the new, separate minister and presumed successor to the long-time Liberal prime minister remained very much under Mackenzie King. Nonetheless External Affairs personnel were already asserting themselves and becoming quite active in the post-war international arenas. Canada was emerging as a major middle power due to its geographic location, industrial growth, and wartime contribution to the Allied effort. It was strategically

A Canadian Ambassador was established, and the authority of the Governor General ended with it. This affair led to The Statute of Westminster, which was the actual legislation that Canada can now make its own decisions. An

Canada had made the right decision not to take part in the war. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 made a terrible impact on both Iraq and America. Both of these countries should have solved the situation differently. America, however had no real evidence for why they sent U.S. forces to launch an attack on Iraq. Iraq had never tried to threaten America. On the other hand, this war caused a lot of confusion. Canada did not think that this war was necessary to start. There were good reasons why Canada refused to participate in the war on Iraq. It was based on lies, changed the way other countries viewed Iraq, and it led to disasters. The invasion that took place caused a lot of chaos and problems.

Canada was a land of vast distances and rich natural resources, and became a hegemonic power in 1867, while maintaining relations with the British Crown. Economically and technically, the nation has developed parallel to the United States, its neighbor to the south across the longest international border in the world. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands to improve the quality of health care, education, social services and economic competitiveness. Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment. (1)

Canada has long been a nation of unparalleled development and evolution. Sir Wilfrid Laurier recognised that the late 19th century was to mark a period of great change in the newborn Canada. Under Sir Laurier’s leadership Canada made great strides towards economic prosperity and greater international recognition, prompting him to remark that “Canada will fill the twentieth century.” Though Sir Laurier never lived to see whether or not the young nation of Canada fulfilled his expectations, his prediction came true, though perhaps not in every dimension. Despite its strong agricultural and manufacturing sectors, Canada’s economy fizzled towards the end of the twentieth century. However, a juvenile Canada did make a name for itself throughout

Since 1867, Canada has been attempting to become its own independent nation. Canada has been trying to achieve its freedom from external control and influence from the United Kingdom, and be rewarded with the right of self-government. Canadian leaders and heroes have been persistent on proving that Canada is capable of growing up and separating from its mother country, Britain. This sovereignty could bring Canada many opportunities, which she would have never come close to, as a colony of the British. Canada has dreamed of being able to make its own decisions, as a child would dream of becoming an adult. Over the years, Canada has proven this and become more autonomous through wars, treaties and its relationship with countries all over the

Although the US managed to create a name for themselves in the nineteenth century for Canada it was only the beginning. With all the actions, choices, improvements we made in the twentieth century, was it truly a shining time for us? Sir Wilfrid Laurier once said “I think we can claim that Canada will fill the twentieth century,” and in this essay, we will be looking at the different impactful events such as the social changes, our improving identity and creating distinction from the Us and Britain, which I believe made his prediction correct. So was Laurier's vision of the future accurately true? First, we will be looking at the social aspect and the events that occurred within Canada that helped with equality and made Canada an overall