Introduction: When Lest B. Pearson created peacekeeping in 1956, it was a way to ease the tensions between the Middle east in response to the Suez Canal crisis. Canada got quickly involved in this mission and became one of the first peacekeepers. This paper will analyze the concept of peacekeeping, review the history of peacekeeping in Canada, determine whether or not Canada can still be considered a peacekeeping country. This paper will be divided into four sections in an attempt to determine whether or not the country can still be considered a peacekeeper.
What is Peacekeeping? Peacekeeping is the concept of creating peace in a place where conflict exists. This can be in a variety of ways, including helping in a place where conflict exists,
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Canada was once a liberal internationalist country, and Harper changed this dramatically during his time in Ottawa. The major question that will be asked about this is whether Harper’s foreign affairs have changed the way in which the world associates itself with Canada. The next section would be whether or not Canada as a whole currently things of itself as a peacekeeping nation. In today’s society many adults are continuing to tell their children that Canada is a peacekeeping country, and while that may have been true in the time that they grew up themselves, it may no longer be accurate. This section will analyze public opinion of Canada as a peacekeeper and address the main question that this paper will attempt to solve: is Canada still a peacekeeping nation? This section will also analyze what Canada is if no longer considered a peacekeeping nation. Has Canada gone the role of peace building rather than keeping, or has it changed in an even more dramatic way. …show more content…
It is an article meant to discuss Canadian public opinion in regards to peacekeeping internationally through foreign policy. It discusses how public opinion in Canada has shaped foreign policy as a whole and the implications that could exist if the public were to no longer agree with the government’s views on foreign policy. This piece discusses how large events have shaped peacekeeping in Canada and how public opinion as a whole has shifted in a direction which “makes sense”.
Murray, Robert W., and John McCoy. "From middle power to peacebuilder: The use of the Canadian Forces in modern Canadian foreign policy." American Review of Canadian Studies 40, no. 2 (2010): 171-188. This journal discusses how Canada has gone from being a peacekeeping nation to a peace building nation ever since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 by the Americans. This journal article talks about Canada’s role as a middle power in the world and the responsibilities that come with said power. It also discusses the relations with NATO and how it has changed Canadian foreign policy from peacekeeping that existed in the late 1900s to peace building, along with discussing the similarities and differences between the two.
Paris, Roland. "Are Canadians still liberal internationalists? Foreign policy and public opinion in the Harper era." International
Today Canada and the United States are major trading partners, allies, and two neighboring countries with a long history of cooperation with each other. But is it possible for Canada to protect its independence and culture living next door to the country so powerful and rich as the United States. Since the Canadian confederation, Canada started developing relations with the U.S. As the years passed by, Canada began to relay on the United States in the national defense. Many Canadians think that the military, political and economical dependence would not make a difference to their daily life. But today more then even Canadian culture is affected by the American influence. Media, American artists, economic dependence, American propaganda and political pressure from the United States is making Canada too Americanized. All of these factors reflect on the social life of ordinary Canadians threatening the heritage and the traditions that define Canada as independent country.
Since the Confederation of Canada until today, the province of Quebec has always wanted become its own nation by separating from Canada. As a result, Canada’s scariest ever terrorist group, the Front de Libération de Quebec (FLQ), wrote the darkest chapter in Canadian history, The October Crisis. To end the terror, Canadian Prime Minister, Trudeau, was forced to invoke the War Measures Act (WMA) during his term in 1970 which was flawed with disapproval and controversy since it was the first time the Act was used during peacetime. However, despite the criticism, his decision to invoke the War Measures Act was reasonable because of the fear presented by the FLQ, the public and governmental demands, and the end result of the October Crisis.
Smith, Gordon. “Canada in Afghanistan: Is it working?” Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute, 2007.
Canada’s Little War. James Lorimer & Company LTD. Toronto [7] Canadians and Conflicts. Edmonton Public School Board [8] Haas. Suzanne. History Television.
Canada was one of Great Britain’s empire who fought under British units or in the Canadian Corps, formed by the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. These Canadians who fought aside with Great Britain earned a recognition of becoming an independent strong fighting force. They earned this reputation through one of World War One’s battles called, Vimy Ridge. Canadian soldiers who were in the Canadian Corps had an awful General named, Sam Hughes who preferred to use the Ross rifle. This type of weapon was too heavy and often jammed too many times to be used as a rifle for upcoming horrific battles. Thus, a new general replaced Sam Hughes and that was, Arthur Currie. General Currie had the desire for the Canadian Corps’ four divisions to fight together to take hold of Vimy Ridge. Arthur Currie made precise plans of military tactics that no general had done to their troops. General Currie gave his troops maps and had a duplicate model of Vimy Ridge so that troops are able to have an ideal look of what they should be taking hold of. Als...
A century ago, Canada was under control by the British Empire. The battles we fought the treaties we signed and the disputes we solved all helped us gain independence from our mother country “Britain”. Canadians fought a long battle protecting others, and from these battles we gained our peaceful reputation and our independence from Britain. Canada became a nation on July, 1st 1867. Although we were an independent country, our affairs and treaties were all still signed by Britain. In the next years Canada would establish its own government, and lead its own affairs. Many important events led to Canada’s independence, one of the earliest signals that Canada wanted to establish autonomy was the Chanak affair of 1921. In addition the battle of Normandy, which occurred on June 6 1944, contributed to the autonomy of Canada. The Suez Canal Crisis, which took place in the year 1956, earned Canada a place in the media spotlight, displaying Canada as a peaceful country that deserves the right to be independent. One of the final steps that aided with Canada’s independence from Britain was the Canada Act of 1982. Independence from Britain steadily increased throughout the 20th century because of political decisions made in Canada.
Canada’s eligibility to participate on the world stage and its move towards independence was proven after the accomplishments at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Foremost, Canada’s first opportunity to partake on the world stage came soon after the end of World War I, during the Paris Peace Conference. The accomplishments of the Canadian Army in the Battle of Vimy Ridge helped to earn Canada a spot in the Paris Peace Conference, after long arguments made on behalf of Canada by Prime Minister Robert Broden . The Prime Minister argued that Canada’s wartime record had earned Canada a seat separate from Britain. Canada was granted the seat despite the disapproval of the American President, Woodrow Wilson’s as they contributed greatly to the Allied forces especially in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The approval of Canada’s seat is important to both the significance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the eligibility to participate on the world stage because it was one of the first steps Canada took towards its independence from Great Britain. Additionally, Canada became more social with other countries separate from Britain after the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Canada involved itself more in trading after the battle and the war, and had a flourishing...
It also has a negative effect on the esteem of Canada as it can be viewed as a hypocritical democratic nation, in which a model peacekeeping nation used a totalitarian force such as the War Measures Act. By unjustly punishing Canadian citizens, enforcing conscription as well as being used unnecessarily to address apprehended threats, the usage of the War Measures Act was neither fair nor necessary. The unjust punishment of citizens allowed by the War Measures Act was iniquitous. When it was used in World War One, World War Two and the October Crisis, it led to the unjust punishment of Canadians by causing the internment of “enemy aliens” as well as the forced registration with the government. In World War One, Canada had been in war with Germany, Austria, Hungary and Ukraine.... ...
United Nations Association in Canada. Canadian Participation in UN Peacekeeping - Chronology. http://www.unac.org/peacekeeping/en/un-peacekeeping/fact-sheets/canadian-participation-in-un-peacekeepinga-chro/ (accessed December 18, 2011).
Newman, Garfield et al. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: Mc Graw – Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000.
“Over the past century, Canadian attitudes towards the use of force and the exercise of military power in support of national aims have fundamentally shifted”. This is a quote written by Major Todd Strickland in his article, titled, “From the Boers to the Taliban: How Canadians Attitudes towards War Have Changed”. This article reviews Canada’s history within the wars and also Canadian’s thoughts on war. The Afghan war began in 2001 and is still ongoing today. The war began due to the terrorist attacks that took place in the United States on September 11th, 2001, also known as 9/11. The purpose of this war was to invade Afghanistan and to disassemble an organization, known as the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Another objective was to dismantle the Taliban government. The Taliban government was simply to blame for the deaths of so many Americans on 9/11. The leader, brains and financial support behind this organization was one by the name of Osama bin Laden. Because his country did not surrender him, the United States made the decision to declare war on Afghanistan and fight for those who lost their lives in 9/11. Canada became involved in the Afghan War very quickly after the attacks of 9/11. Because the Afghanistan war is a war that is constantly covered by the media, it makes the information overwhelming. To narrow the topic down, this paper will focus mainly on the Canadian’s involvement in the Afghanistan war. Violent political wars have been reoccurring for as long as anyone can remember, and the intensity of this violence continues to rise. The magnitude of political violence involved, the main interpretations on the causes of political violence, and the prospects for conflict resolution are all topics that will be covered...
The post-war time was a period where major changes were occurring. After being involved in two international conflicts, Canada was ready to reestablish their economy. During this time, Canada had started working on ways to become stronger and reputable. It is evident that Canada had matured through the post-war era. Canada’s economic progress left a positive impact on the growth of the country as consumerism became popular, and economic ties with America became stronger. Moreover, the removal of racial and ethical barriers contributed to Canadian social affairs such as the huge wave of immigration and the baby boom. The Canadian government also had become more aware and involved in issues impacting Canadian citizens. Canada as a whole started identifying itself as an independent nation and participating in events that brought a positive reputation amongst them. These economical, social, and legal changes helped Canada mature into the country it is today.
In the decades following World War Two, there were a number of movements which focused on global developments. Groups such as the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization were centres of international cooperation. In these dealings there were, of course, great powers; the countries that had the greatest riches and militaries often dominated the global political stage. Beyond that, there were countries which were not the biggest or strongest, but were influential through other means. These were middle powers, and Canada is one of them.
In 2007 the Canadian Government released a document outlining thirteen problems facing the CAF and the mission in Afghanistan. Problem one is the warrior culture in Afghanistan. For the roughly the last two centuries the country has been in a state of war, which has developed a tolerance to killing, and being killed in Afghan culture. Problem two and three are the advantages that the locals have over NATO forces and the disadvantages that the visiting NATO forces have as being foreigners. Problems four and five are related to how limited time, difficult geography, and easily accessible safe heavens happens the effectiveness of the CAF. Problems eight, ten, eleven, and thirteen all deal with the cultural aspects and societal effects on attempted reform. If a negative view is perceived of the CAF, and corruption still dominates Afghan politics no progress can be made. Problem seven is that we are fighting a rich enemy, who has the ability to easily bribe and recruit the large majority of the population. Problems nine and eleven deal with the civilian cost of the war, and how it is too high. Also if Afghanistan is the test for the newly reform NATO, it is truly testing the alliance to its limits. The report also outlines what criteria needs to be used to identify the success of the CAF when dealing with these problems. Stability needs to be created in Kandahar Province to allow for economic and political development. Improved governance and crackdown on corruption needs to occur to counter many of these problems. The Canadian military mission in Afghanistan officially ended in March of 2014. 158 Canadian solders lost their lives over the twelve year conflict and war has estimated to have cost taxpayers nineteen billion dollars. Critics and scholars began to debate if the cost of the War in Afghanistan was worth it, and if Canada was successful with its goals. Understanding the historical context of
Kowaluk, L., & Staples, S. (2008). Afghanistan and Canada: Is there an alternative to war? Montreal: Black Rose Books.