Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - What is Canada's foreign policy? What should it be?

HPLovecraft · 11-05-2010, 02:59 PM

So, I've been thinking lately about Canada's standing in the world, especially after losing that seat on the UN Security Council, and hearing Ignatieff and Martin speak about Harper's foreign policy. I am a little confused as to what our foreign policy actually is. I am not an anti-American nutter by any stretch of the imagination, but is the foreign policy of Canada really to just support the policies of the US so as to enhance our standing with them at this point? Continental issues are important too, of course, but it seems to me Canada's just kind of disappearing on the world stage. We aren't seen as peacekeepers and rule of law supporters in the UN anymore (and I realize some didn't like the "peacekeeper" role to begin with). I suppose we've adopted a more "hard power" line when it comes to foreign affairs such as in Afghanistan, but let's not kid ourselves, we're not making anyone shiver with our brute might, either. Do we still consider ourselves a "Middle Power," as Louis St. Laurent once put it, or are we trying to be something else?

The way I'm seeing it, it seems Canada doesn't have any real plan of what it wants to be on the world stage. I'm no expert on this, but the loss of the UN seat kind of worries me. Not that I find the UN particularly important in the long run, but as a reflection of how the world is beginning to perceive us.

To bring Flames jargon into this, what is our identity?

11-05-2010, 02:59 PM	#1
HPLovecraft Took an arrow to the knee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Toronto Exp:	What is Canada's foreign policy? What should it be? So, I've been thinking lately about Canada's standing in the world, especially after losing that seat on the UN Security Council, and hearing Ignatieff and Martin speak about Harper's foreign policy. I am a little confused as to what our foreign policy actually is. I am not an anti-American nutter by any stretch of the imagination, but is the foreign policy of Canada really to just support the policies of the US so as to enhance our standing with them at this point? Continental issues are important too, of course, but it seems to me Canada's just kind of disappearing on the world stage. We aren't seen as peacekeepers and rule of law supporters in the UN anymore (and I realize some didn't like the "peacekeeper" role to begin with). I suppose we've adopted a more "hard power" line when it comes to foreign affairs such as in Afghanistan, but let's not kid ourselves, we're not making anyone shiver with our brute might, either. Do we still consider ourselves a "Middle Power," as Louis St. Laurent once put it, or are we trying to be something else? The way I'm seeing it, it seems Canada doesn't have any real plan of what it wants to be on the world stage. I'm no expert on this, but the loss of the UN seat kind of worries me. Not that I find the UN particularly important in the long run, but as a reflection of how the world is beginning to perceive us. To bring Flames jargon into this, what is our identity? __________________ "An adherent of homeopathy has no brain. They have skull water with the memory of a brain."