Are Canadians Still Liberal Internationalists? Foreign Policy
Scholarly Essay International Journal 2014, Vol. 69(3) 274–307 Are Canadians still ! The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav liberal internationalists? DOI: 10.1177/0020702014540282 Foreign policy and ijx.sagepub.com public opinion in the Harper era Roland Paris Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada Abstract Since coming into office in 2006, the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has rejected many of the symbols and practices of the liberal internationalist approach to foreign affairs that Canadian governments of all political stripes broadly embraced during the preceding six decades. As part of this change, the Harper government has also promoted a new narrative about Canada’s history and foreign policy, which encour- ages Canadians to change how they think about their country and its role in the world. By examining recent opinion surveys, this article asks whether Canadian public attitudes on foreign policy have shifted away from liberal internationalism and toward the Harper government’s narrative since 2006. Keywords Canadian foreign policy, liberal internationalism, Stephen Harper, Canadian public opinion, Conservative Party of Canada, role theory Introduction Since coming into office in 2006, the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has rejected many elements of the liberal internationalist consensus that under- pinned Canadian foreign policy in the decades after the Second World War. This consensus included the conviction that working through international insti- tutions generally served Canadian interests and values, that energetic multilateral diplomacy provided Canada with opportunities for international influence which it Corresponding author: Roland Paris, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, 120 University St., Room 6053, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
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