The Canadian Way of War: Serving the National Interest (review)

This edited volume explores elements of the Canadian military experience to address the issues of whether a Canadian way of war exists and, if so, whether it serves the national interest. The notion of a Canadian way of war is an important concept to grasp for most Canadians. As Colonel Horn notes in his introductory remarks, there is a mythology that has evolved portraying Canadians as reluctant warriors. This book is about how governments have utilized these reluctant warriors to achieve national interests. The reality, of course, is that governments have acted in what they believe to be the national interest.

The book examines the Canadian way of war by tracing Canada’s approach to committing soldiers to operations from the 1700s to contemporary times. It is structured around four time frames, beginning with the early ways of war before Confederation. In this first section, the editor sets the stage for all subsequent chapters by making two critical observations. First, Canadian soldiers have largely been used at the tactical level, regardless of whether Canada was junior to Britain or the United States. Second, military force has always been committed deliberately for practical purposes that serve the national interest. The two other chapters in the first section of the book deal with the pre-Confederation years and the early development of the militia.

Next the book turns to the issue of fighting abroad and Canada’s contribution to the Boer War and both world wars. The recurring theme in all chapters in this section is the friction between the Allied commanders that Canadian soldiers were placed under for the conduct of military operations and the demand by the senior Canadian officer that they be consulted on the employment of those same forces. The message was clear: Canada was an independent nation responsible for making those decisions.

The last two sections of the book deal with the Canadian approach to war and contributing military forces during and after the Cold War. Again the themes and approaches, although different and relevant to the period, are nevertheless consistent when viewed over time. Throughout these years, foreign and defence policy was formulated and executed on the basis of the relationship with allies and through institutions such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United Nations, and, closer to home, the Bi-national North American Aerospace Defence Command with the United States. Scot Robertson’s last chapter aptly captures this when he notes, ‘Canada’s existence as an independent nation has overlapped with the great struggles of the twentieth century, namely the struggle between liberal-democratic values on the one hand, and the forces of totalitarianism on the other. In that sense, Canada’s policy was largely pre-ordained – it would stand with the forces for liberal democracy against totalitarianism.’

This is an important examination of how Canadian governments and the Canadian military have approached the commitment of military forces to combat and peace operations over a significant period of time. As Horn concludes, there is a Canadian way of war, and our soldiers have been valued combatants ‘whether in the colonial period against the Iroquois, British, and later Americans, or in later centuries during overseas deployments.’ Canada has been well served, committing military forces to tactical operations to achieve strategic goals in its national interest.