Osmund Lindberg CCG International Relations Master Thesis Aalborg University 10. Semester Harper’s New Northern Narrative 11/01/2016

Harper’s New Narrative: An Analysis of Canadian Foreign Policy during the Harper Era

Introduction

The concept of nation branding – and its effect on a country’s foreign policy – is something that’s receiving increasing attention in the studies of International Relations. In short, nation branding within IR can be described as how a state’s image aides their foreign relations through soft power; how a nation’s goodwill can help in diplomatic dealings with other countries, international bodies, and so on. Simultaneously, it is important to remember that nation branding – like all other types of communication is a two-way street: a state can attempt to create a certain brand, or image, for itself, but if the state does not live up to that image – i.e. if there’s a lack of correspondence between ideal and reality – there will be a severe blow to that state’s credibility. In furtherance of the above, this thesis will utilise nation branding as a starting point. However, in an attempt to narrow it down, nation branding in , and in particular during Stephen Harper’s reign, will be at the core of this paper. When discussing nation branding, a commonly used phrase is that every country “has a story to tell.”12 What is Canada’s story then? One narrative, often told, about Canada is that it is the nation par excellence. Since Lester B. Pearson’s (who won the Nobel Prize for in 1957, for his role in bringing an end to Suez Canal Crisis) leadership in the 1950s, Canada has been involved in countless peacekeeping operations, in various countries and continents. Furthermore, in 2006, Canada had the second highest peacekeeping fatality number of all the UN troop-contributors.3 Nonetheless, it could be argued that Canada’s story is changing – or at least the narrative of Canadian peacekeeping is changing. In recent years, foreign policy efforts have seen

1 Harper, quoted in CBC News, 2007 2 Risi, 2013 3 Dorn, 2008, 70 1

Osmund Lindberg CCG International Relations Master Thesis Aalborg University 10. Semester Harper’s New Northern Narrative 11/01/2016

Canada shunning peacekeeping, and instead opting for US-led warfighting, or peacemaking, in Afghanistan and Libya. By taking this route, Stephen Harper and his government have received criticisms from both left-wingers and nationalists alike. Instead of focusing on maintaining Canada’s image as peacekeepers, Stephen Harper and his government have gone in an altogether different direction: branding Canada as one of the great Arctic nations, claiming what, they believe, is rightfully their part of the polar region. As our planet has become increasingly warmer, interest in the Arctic on the international scene has risen, correspondingly. According to reports4, 13% of the world’s untapped oil reserves are in the Arctic, and 30% of its gas, while minerals are plentiful too; as the ice is melting, these resources are becoming more readily available. This abundance of oil, gas and minerals is without doubt one of the defining factors for Canada’s recent shift in foreign policy. Along the same lines, climate changes also present the opportunity for alternative, cheaper trading routes; one of these being The Northwest Passage, which Canada claims is in their internal waters, and therefore could, potentially, be of great value to them. However, there are other reasons as well. One argument presented in this thesis will be that the Harper government sees the Arctic as part of “The True North”, as something which is crucial to Canadian identity and self-image. While Canada’s reputation as peacekeeper has been in decline under Harper’s tenure (and before that) — and their newfound image as an Arctic steward is gaining ground — th