Canada’s Global
Partners: Alliances
Topics for Discussion:
The Post-War Years
NATO
Challenges to Canadian
Sovereignty
The Commonwealth
La Francophonie
The G-8
Final thoughts / Questions
The Post War Years
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After WW2, Canada had
the world’s third largest
navy and fourth largest
airforce.
Canada was also one of
the richest nations in the
world since many
European nations were
economically devastated
by the immediate effects
of WW2
Canada’s Navy in the Bedford Basin, NS
Canadian Airforce
The “Cold War”
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After the war there were
increasing tensions between the
Soviet Union, the United States
and its allies.
In 1949 Western nations
(Britain, United States, W.
Germany, Canada, etc.) formed
the NATO Alliance (North
Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Nations of Eastern Europe
(USSR,E. Germany, Romania,
etc.) formed the Warsaw Pact
NATO – Homepage
NATO - Who's who? (Canada’s
profile within NATO)
NATO and the Warsaw Pact
The Cold War
The Berlin Wall
With increasing tensions between
the communist East and the
Capitalist West, a wall was erected
To separate East Berlin (East Germany)
From West Berlin
Challenges to Canadian Sovereignty
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In 1957, there were more than
20 Distant Early Warning
(DEW) sites created on the 70th
parallel.
They were paid for and
maintained by the United States.
The stations were designed as an
early warning system for
incoming Soviet missles.
Although the sites were clearly
on Canada’s territory, they were
owned and maintained by the
United States. Canada was not
involved.
Canada consented. Was this a
threat to Canadian
independence?
The DEW Line
Challenges to Canadian Soverignty
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The Americans
knew that the
shortest distance
between the USSR
and the USA was
through the Arctic.
As a result, they
insisted that Canada
allow them to
install these sites
DEW Line Radar Site in Canada’s Arctic
NATO Today
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Tensions have lessened between
the Warsaw Pact nations and
NATO. In fact, some former
members of the Warsaw Pact are
now members of NATO! (e.g.
Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia,
etc)
Question: Does Canada’s
membership within NATO threaten
Canada’s sovereignty?
For a discussion of NATO’s agenda
and current operations around the
world click here
Question: Is Canada’s involvement
in NATO a reflection of Canada’s
traditional global values? What are
Canada’s values? What is our
global reputation?
The Commonwealth
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Founded in 1931, the
Commonwealth is an
organization of former British
colonies that today consists of
51 nations and represents 1.7
Billion citizens. (Some former
colonies are not members such
as the United States.
Member states meet every two
years to discuss economic,
social, political and
environmental issues
The Commonwealth
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The purpose of the commonwealth
is the following:
To support the United Nations in
its efforts for greater peace and
security in the world
To combat racism and oppression
in the world
To promote the spread of
democracy around the world (e.g.
Case study: Nigeria)
Reduce economic disparities that
exist within nations
Canada’s Role in the
Commonwealth
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Canada played an
instrumental role in the
ending of Apartheid in South
Africa
Recently, Canada has used
the Commonwealth as a
vehicle for combating global
terrorism
Canada also uses the
Commonwealth to spread its
foreign aid funding through
the usage of NGOs (Nongovernmental organizations)
The Commonwealth has also
been used by Canada to
address global health issues
such as the spread of the
HIV/AIDs virus.
La Francophonie
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La Francophonie is an
organization of French
speaking nations that
represent 5 continents.
This organization has 53
member countries and
represents 10% of the
world’s population
Much like the
Commonwealth, La
Francophonie meets
every 2 years to discuss
economic, social and
political issues and to
implement a vast array of
initiatives (foreign aid,
health care, and an
international games)
Canada’s role in La Francophonie
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Canada plays an important role since it
is one of the wealthiest members of this
organization
Canada has played a major role in
promoting human rights around the
world through La Francophonie (e.g.
initiatives in Haiti)
Some Canadians have questioned the
value of La Francophonie with respect
to financing (e.g. tax dollars to fund La
Francophonie Games).
Question: Should Canada continue to
be a member of La Francophonie? Is
La Francophonie obsolete given the
role that Canada currently plays under
the umbrella of the United Nations?
The G-8
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The G-8 consists of: The United States,
Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Great
Britain, Canada (which joined in 1976) and
Russia (which joined in 1998)
Although the G-8’s main role is in the area
of economic policy, the organization also
deals with issues such as drug smuggling,
combating terrorism and human rights
abuses.
The organization meets once a year and
represents some of the most powerful
nations on earth. Some question the Value
of the G-8 with the exclusion of emerging
powers such as China and India (hence the
G-20).
However, supporters of the G-8 stress that
Canada can use its influence in this
membership to forward its economic, social
and political goals around the world
Final Thoughts/ Questions
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Does Canada benefit from its memberships in
international organizations?
Are some organizations more valuable than others?
What are the benefits of membership?
What are the costs of membership?
Write a 200 word paragraph in response to the
following question: Canada’s membership in
International organizations represent a threat to
Canadian Sovereignty. Discuss
Works Consulted
Books:
Cohen, Andrew, While Canada Slept: How we lost our place
in the world. Toronto, McClelland and Steward, 2003
John Ruypers et al., Canadian and World Politics. Toronto,
Emond Montgomery Publications, 2005.
Websites:
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/nato_countries.htm
(All images enclosed taken from Google images)