Canada And The Ukrainian Crisis by Bohdan S. Kordan & Mitchell C.G. Dowie

Author:Bohdan S. Kordan & Mitchell C.G. Dowie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGill-Queen’s University Press

THE TENETS OF LEADERSHIP AND THE UKRAINIAN CRISIS

Stephen Harper was the most readily identifiable member of the new conservative elite that governed Canada from 2006 to 2015. Their rise coincided with multiple, overlapping crises that created a volatile and fragile political environment. During such periods, elites “seek alternatives to existing norms that have been discredited by events and in which new norms offer opportunities for political gains and coalitional realignment.”24 Thus, Canada’s new conservatives not only acceded to America’s normative ideals, they embraced and internalized them as their own. Most importantly, however, they exhibited none of the anti-American suspicion that helped sustain the Laurentian consensus.25 This feature represents a key to understanding the shape and course of Canadian foreign policy under Stephen Harper and the contrast with what had preceded it. Following the Second World War, Canada supported the construction of a US-led global order, but latent anti-Americanism retarded the socialization process and prevented some Laurentian elites from fully internalizing the American vision. As a result, Canada’s support for America’s agenda appeared perfunctory, with various governments even withholding support on occasion.

All of this would change when Stephen Harper assumed office. The contrast with the past could not have been starker. In a meeting between Harper and Margaret Thatcher – a staunch supporter of America – the former British prime minister impressed upon him the importance of aligning closely with the US, especially in view of its foundational role in maintaining the rules-based order. With US global leadership under pressure and given his pro-American disposition, it was advice Harper had no trouble taking to heart.26 No prime minister before or since had embraced the US and its vision of world order so openly, and no other prime minister had so clearly reshaped Canadian foreign policy to be more supportive of the US mission and its goals.27 This orientation was especially evident in the Harper government’s Ukraine policy.

Canada’s willingness to follow was not tempered by Laurentian anti-Americanism. Rather, it was unequivocal and reflected Harper’s strong pro-American stance. Instead of attempting to serve as a counterbalance to the US, the Harper government actively looked to support the US by embracing its ideological goals and strategic role in defending the international order from challengers who sought to revise it.28 The full extent of the Harper government’s embrace of this commitment became clear following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, which Stephen Harper referred to as “a wake-up call.”29 The prime minister further anticipated that Russia’s actions would not only lead to its isolation, but that these would also amplify “the free world’s unwavering fervour.”30 His remarks, far from being measured statements, mirrored political beliefs that had been formed by a particularly adversarial and uncompromising outlook.

Adam Chapnick would characterize this new brand of conservative foreign policy thinking, mainly associated with the prime minister, as “unCanadian” insofar as it did not follow the traditional tenets that had governed Canada’s past international engagement.31 From the point of view of the Harper Conservatives, however, Canada’s new foreign policy would have been better described as “un-Laurentian.

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