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| Prime Minister of Canada: Justin Trudeau (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Robert Farley
Canada has always been interested in the Asia-Pacific, but its new government may change its approach.
To what extent is Canada recalibrating its strategic thinking towards the Asia-Pacific (APAC)?
Although Canada has enjoyed territory on both oceans since independence, Ottawa has historically concentrated the greatest attention on the Atlantic. Even in World War II, when the United States and the United Kingdom waged war across both oceans, Canada focused its contribution heavily on the European theater of operations. Yet with the United States shifting its military and diplomatic attention to the Pacific Rim, Canada may need to rethink how it distributes attention between the two oceans.
Canada faces two key problems in the APAC. First, its navy and air force lack the reach to operate successfully in a region characterized by large distances and small numbers of bases. No Canadian government has displayed much interest in paying for the naval capabilities (nuclear submarines, light carriers or amphibious assault ships) that could enable this reach. As Bochen Han has pointed out, while Canadian trade with Asia has expanded considerably, relations with the continent have yet to play a large role in the Canadian political imagination.
Second, the Asia-Pacific lacks the densely institutionalized security relationships that Canada depends on for access and influence. While the extent of Canadian contribution to NATO operations varies considerably, the ability to contribute at all means that Canada gets a seat at the table regarding the conduct of interventions and the strategic direction of the alliance. Canada has no such seat in the APAC; it has good relations with individual players (particularly the US), but no multilateral security venue for establishing a voice.
Read the full story at The Diplomat