Canada First, Not Canada Alone

Three recent Canadian prime ministers, Paul Martin, Stephen Harper, and Justin Trudeau made the same claim shortly after forming a government: “Canada is Back.” Martin promised to reinvest in world affairs. Harper was focused on the military. Trudeau meant more involvement at the UN. Each leader made foreign policy a part of their political brand because they recognized that in today's world, domestic and international politics are interconnected. Canada can no longer take care of its own interests if it ignores the world around it.

This book traces the history of Canadian foreign policy from a time when positioning Canada First meant shunning international obligations to today. It highlights key decisions taken and not taken in Ottawa that have shaped Canadians' safety, security, and prosperity over the last one hundred years. Case studies focused on environmental reform, Indigenous peoples, trade, hostage diplomacy, and wartime strategy illustrate the breadth of issues that shape contemporary Canada's global realm.

Together, these cases reveal a country that has benefited from diplomatic prudence and compromise even as its citizens have yearned for their elected officials to be world leaders. This book argues that, like any country, Canada must look out for its own interests first, but in the modern world it can't do so effectively without cooperating with other states and non-state actors.

Written by two of Canada's leading foreign policy analysts, Canada First, Not Canada Alone is the definitive history of Canadian foreign policy since the 1930s.