“We Will Honour Our Good Name”: The Trudeau Government, Arms Exports, and Human Rights

This article analyzes the modern foreign policy of the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP). It uses the framework of Aaron Ettinger's work in the International Journal on an emerging left-wing in the US Democratic Party. I first situate the research within the existing literature on leftist internationalism, Canadian foreign policy, and the New Democratic Party. I then analyze a dataset that I created based on the last five NDP federal election platforms and use it to analyze 210 different foreign policy commitments. I use these findings to argue two things: (1) the NDP has a comprehensive foreign policy that reflects dual struggles of electability and left-wing ideals; (2) there is no identifiable left-wing turn in recent NDP platforms. I conclude this article with a discussion on the future of NDP foreign policy.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Left, but how left? Analyzing the foreign policy of the New Democratic Party of Canada

Collie

2023

“…"Feminist" and "Indigenous" show up twice in chapter titles, for chapters written by Tiessen and Emma Swan and Sheryl Lightfoot respectively. 41 This volume includes Indigenous and feminist perspectives and women writing on issues such as defence policy, 42 arms exports and human rights, 43 Canada and the United Nations, 44 and international military operations, 45 showing the depth and breadth of scholarship by women in the field.…”

Section: Review Of Textbooksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silences in Canadian Foreign Policy Textbooks and Course Outlines

Smith

2022

In this article, I examine one book, seven edited volumes, and twenty-four Canadian Foreign Policy course outlines to assess the inclusion of women scholars, feminist research, Indigenous scholars, and Indigenous-themed research. As we will see, the degree to which “silences have been broken” is strikingly uneven. Indigenous scholars are rare in the field and the inclusion of work by Indigenous scholars is also rare. The extent of inclusion of women scholars in edited volumes is varied, as is the representation of women scholars in readings found in course outlines. Some texts and course outlines show that the silences have been broken. However, through whose work they include, some textbooks and course outlines suggest that the work of women scholars remains marginal to the field, that Indigenous content is of little relevance, and in some cases, the work of Indigenous and female scholars is neither heard nor seen.

“…87 Jen Pedersen labels this "Liberal doublespeak regarding Saudi Arabia and human rights." 88 There are justifications given for a Canadian ethical lapse. In 2016, Thomas Juneau argued that a realist-security interpretation prioritises the need to support allies and partners who, while not always ideal, are important bulwarks against dangerous foes like Iran or terrorist organisations like ISIS.…”

Section: Saudi Arabiamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Middle East in Canadian foreign policy and national identity formation

Wildeman

2021

While often overlooked, the Middle East has been a pivotal geographical and discursive space in Canadian foreign policy and national identity formation. The region was the birthplace of Canada’s liberal internationalist foreign policy identity, Pearsonianism, and the national myths associated with it. The Middle East also appears to be where Pearsonianism was later superseded by a more realist foreign policy approach, centred on key bilateral relationships with Western countries and a shared sense of Western civilisation. For reasons tied to identity formation and how Canadians perceive their place in the world, the Middle East is therefore a deeply contested space in the domestic arena and a site of deep divisions today. With the support of three contemporary case studies—Israel and Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Iran—this paper explores how Canada’s ties to the Middle East have shaped and continue to shape Canada’s foreign policy, national identity, and place in the world.