Canada Should Flex Its Regional Muscle

The arrival of Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Secretary-General of NATO, in Ottawa next week will give Prime Minister Stephen Harper an opportunity to explain to him the implications or the alliance of a very significant shift in the government's thinking.

Mr. Harper could begin by saying that Canada's national security ties to Europe are weakening as memories of the Cold War fade and deployments of the Canadian Forces alter our perceptions of this country's place in the world. Mr. Harper might emphasize that it is impossible today to imagine any credible scenario whereby Canada would ever again rally to the defence of Europe. As Europe's policies demonstrate in Afghanistan, it is obvious to Canadians that they cannot expect Europe to spend one soldier's life in the defence of Canada's interests. Indeed, Mr. Harper should warn Mr. Rasmussen that his government is busy preparing to meet serious and prolonged challenges to Canada's sovereignty, especially in the Arctic and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence – challenges, ironically, launched by our so-called NATO allies.

The Prime Minister should also inform the Secretary-General that Canada is no longer merely a “North Atlantic nation.” Rather, changed and changing international circumstances, and Canada's strategic imperatives – the security of Canada and the security of North America – are bringing Canadians home to America; that is, home to the idea that Canada is a natural constituent in an enormous political and cultural entity: the Western Hemisphere.

Mr. Harper could illustrate the practical evolution of this idea that Canada is a Western Hemispheric nation by handing to Mr. Rasmussen copies of the federal government's major foreign-policy statement, “Canada and the Americas: Priorities and Progress” or its “Canada First Defence Strategy.” He could go on to explain that officials in Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency are radically reshaping policies to concentrate more resources and programs in this hemisphere.