A Most Canadian Odyssey: Education Diplomacy and Federalism, 1844–1984 by John Allison (review)

Based on John Allison's doctoral work, A Most Canadian Odyssey: Education Diplomacy and Federalism, 1844–1984 is the product of fifteen years of research. As John English notes in the foreword, the story told by Allison is a "sad tale of jealousies, failures of communication, and downright stupidity" (v). Allison convincingly argues that Canada has never managed to produce something resembling a cogent education diplomacy, which he defines as "international or diplomatic activities undertaken abroad in the field of education" (1). He attributes this failure largely to pettiness and territorial possessiveness on the part of the federal and provincial governments, as both sought to maintain or increase their control over the nation's educational affairs. The central reason for this constant friction, he contends, is because of how education was constitutionally enshrined in the British North America Act, creating a scenario in which the provinces have been unwilling to cede any authority to the federal government.

A Most Canadian Odyssey is a clearly written, accessible introduction to the influence of federalism on education diplomacy in Canada. The book would be useful as a textbook, or as a sort of manual for education ministers, mostly for how not to conduct affairs. The chapters highlight key events in Canada's past that have been central to its education diplomacy, and most of the examples are ones of miscommunication and missed opportunities.

The book's six chapters are divided not only thematically but also somewhat chronologically. The first section is a broad sweep of the history of education diplomacy from 1800 to 1967, where "education was seen by all the great powers as a secondary rather than principal instrument or interest in their foreign policies or diplomacy" (14). He cites Egerton Ryerson as the closest Canada has had to a father of education diplomacy. The second chapter focuses on Quebec and its aggressive approach to promoting its own educational interests abroad. Allison argues that Quebec's ambitious approach not only shaped its role on the international stage but also forced the federal government to address provincial posturing. The third chapter considers Ottawa's expanding role in the 1960s, which he presents as an era of growing sophistication in its approach to education diplomacy. The fourth chapter addresses the impact of the 1970s global economic crisis on education diplomacy, including the financial impact of the Vietnam War (82), something I had not previously considered. In the fifth chapter, Allison addresses the Organisation for Economic and Cooperative Development's evaluation of the Canadian education system in the 1970s, which he presents as a rare example of national cooperation but which was ultimately a failure in that it failed to yield any long-term results (107). In the sixth chapter, he considers the strained relationship between the federal government and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. Although the bulk of the work centres on education diplomacy between 1844 and 1984, Allison addresses in the conclusion its current state and the influence that the past has had on shaping the present, which, according to him, continues to languish in a state of disunity and disorganization. The chapters feel a bit disjointed at times, though each provides a convincing example of the failure of governments to provide a unifying vision.

Allison meticulously articulates how a lack of effective communication–the provinces clamouring to make their individual voices heard and the federal government unsure of whom to appoint to represent its educational interests–created a cacophony of voices. What is less clear is why this lack of education diplomacy matters. To be sure, Allison makes reference to this, both in the introduction and in the conclusion, where he concedes that Canada's reputation has suffered internationally because of its missed opportunity to brand its education system as one of the world's best and, as a result, has failed to attract the strongest international students and intellectual capital (149). It is in the conclusion...