Canada might be “back,” as the meme adopted by Justin Trudeau in the early days of his prime ministership has it. As I argued in Part 1 of this blog post, there is much to welcome in the new foreign policy tone set by the government. However, on one international policy file, Canada indeed seems … More “Canada is back” — part 2: Trudeau and the use of force

The day after the election, Justin Trudeau wasted no time in declaring an end to the Harper Conservative era in Canadian foreign policy. “To this country’s friends all around the world,” he said at a Liberal rally on 20 October, “many of you have worried that Canada has lost its compassionate and constructive voice in the world … More “Canada is back” — part 1: Trudeau and the use of force

What should have been a straightforward defence procurement decision — replacing Canada’s fleet of aging CF-18 Hornets — instead turned into a fiasco. Indeed, the F-35 nicely reveals everything that is dysfunctional in Canada’s approach to defence procurement. The story of Canada’s F-35 acquisition begins, paradoxically, with Jean Chrétien, the Liberal prime minister who is … More A cautionary tale: Canada’s F-35 fiasco