Mark Carney’s claims about ending the “old relationship” with the US are highly misleading. His deception highlights the absurdity of the prime minister suggesting the world needs more Canada.
In his victory speech Monday Carney reiterated his claim of breaking from the US. “Our old relationship with the United States, a relationship based on steadily increasing integration, is over,” he stated.
Carney knows the public wants him to get tough with the US. Leger recently found only 16 per cent of Canadians said the country has a good relationship with the US (compared to 15% for Russia and 36% for China).
But Carney isn’t really breaking from the US. On Thursday the Ottawa Citizen reported that the Canadian military favored US manufacturers over European firms for an as yet completed $100-million purchase of night-vision equipment. “The move is raising questions about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s promises to decrease reliance on U.S. suppliers and to boost defence alliances with European nations”, the paper explained.
Canada is currently participating in a major US-Philippines military exercise targeting China and has naval vessels sailing with US counterparts in many places. A small number of Canadian soldiers are also part of Operation Prosperity Guardian assisting the US bombing of Yemen. They are also deployed as part of Operation PROTEUS, which the Department of National Defence describes as the “CAF [Canadian Armed Forces] role in the Office of the U.S. Security Coordinator to build security capacity in the Palestinian Authority” to oversee Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. There is also Operation FOUNDATION, which is the “CAF role in United States Central Command Headquarters, United States Air Forces Central Headquarters, and Combined Maritime Forces Headquarters.”
Canada has hundreds of bilateral military accords with the US. It also remains part of the US led Five Eyes intelligence sharing arrangement, Group of 7 of wealthy countries and NATO military alliance. A look at Canadian policy from Haiti to Lebanon demonstrates that Ottawa is actively assisting the US empire.
And yet, alongside his get tough on Washington claims, Carney is suggesting the world needs more Canada. “I spokewith UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today”, the PM posted Friday. “In this time of rising conflict, Canada is ready to lead. We will build coalitions, defend democracy, and stand up for our values on the world stage. As others step back from global leadership, Canada is stepping up.”
It is absurd to suggest the world needs more Canada when Ottawa continues to actively participate in the US empire’s global power projection. There’s also little historical basis for Carney’s claims. As Owen Schalk and I document in Canada’s Long Fight against Democracy, Ottawa has contributed to the ouster of over 20 elected governments from Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran to Patrice Lumumba in Congo, Salvador Allende in Chile and Jean Bertrand Aristide in Haiti. Since the early 1990s Canadian forces’ have attacked Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Libya. At the turn of the last century — before it was oriented to assist its US counterparts — Canadian forces participated in British imperial wars in Sudan, South Africa and Europe.
While vocally but superficially breaking from US empire, Carney is turning to Canada’s British imperial roots to solidify Canadian nationalism. On Friday Carney boasted that King Charles will deliver the speech from the throne, laying out the government’s priorities, at the end of the month. In announcing the first such speech in a half century, Governor General Mary Simon declared, “now more than ever, we need to come together to ensure a future that builds on our shared global values of democracy, equality and peace.” How does a British King represent “democracy” and “peace”?
Internationalist, anti-imperialist, critics of Canadian foreign policy face some interesting political dynamics because of Donald Trump. On one hand, the surge of anti-US nationalism offers an important opportunity to push Ottawa to lessen its support for the US empire.
At the same time, nationalism that ignores this country’s British colonial roots or “independent” Canadian imperialism is also regressive. To take but the most egregious example, Canadian mining companies are in disputes with local communities and governments all around the world. Pick almost any country in the Global South — from Papua New Guinea to Ghana, Ecuador to the Philippines — and you will find a Canadian-run mine that has caused environmental devastation or been the scene of violent confrontations.
The world needs less Canada. Both the support Washington and capitalist types.
Support Yves’ work. Donate Now.
You must be logged in to post a comment.