Justin Trudeau and Canadian Foreign Policy ed. by Norman Hillmer and Philippe Lagassé (review)

Political and social sciences

'Canada is back' was the rallying cry of then newly sworn-in prime minister Justin Trudeau in fall 2015. Under Trudeau fils Canada was to return to its supposed glory days of yore: a peacekeeping, UN-engaged nation that championed strong progressive policies, including tackling climate change and feminism. Three years later, amid global populist revolts, protectionism, and a resurgence in great power tensions, the world seems to be a much different place from those halcyon days. Therefore, it is fitting that heading into the 2019 federal election an edited volume has been produced by historian Norman Hillmer and political scientist Philippe Lagassé to assess what became of these promises.

In putting together this assessment Hillmer and Lagassé have assembled an impressive selection of writers and topics. The book features 20 contributors, 11 of whom are women – a rarity in most Canadian foreign policy scholarship. An added strength of this volume is the diverse set of backgrounds the contributors bring, including former policy advisors to prime ministers Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper, emerging doctoral students, an activist, and experienced scholars. The 15 chapters are no less diverse in topics, covering Canadian foreign policy concerns from gender, Indigenous peoples, Marxism, international development studies, and history. If there is a theme to be woven throughout the book it is the Trudeau government's continuity with their Conservative predecessors in foreign policy (p. 3). In fact, as the editors themselves note, the young prime minister and his staff have been no different than Harper's team in, 'craft[ing] domestic victories out of their international affairs' (p. 9). If there is a difference between the two prime ministers it is 'in tone' (p. 32). Canada's geostrategic realities largely account for this continuity – Canada depends on the United States for its prosperous economy and Washington remains the country's key security guarantor. Donald Trump does challenge this situation for Trudeau (as he would for any prime minister): the mercurial president takes a transactional view of America's relations, threatening trade actions (e.g. steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada) or withdrawing military support (as he has with NATO allies).

In short, Trump's presence has led to a pivot away from many of Trudeau's 2015 campaign promises including UN peacekeeping, closer ties with China, and climate change commitments (pp. 111, 148). But Trump cannot be held to blame in all foreign policy matters. The list of 'own goals' includes not introducing a plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, continued confusion over arms exports to Saudi Arabia, and inadequate funding of international development assistance and the diplomatic corps, likely to the detriment of a UN Security Council seat (pp. 26, 177, 208, 254). This is not to say that there have been no successes – the refugee file is one such example (p. 241) – but it is telling three years later that the talk of 'Canada is back' and 'sunny ways' has given way to protecting national interests. Prime ministers may change but Canada's geostrategic realities remain.