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The Imperatives of Canada’s Strategic Geography

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Canadian Defence Policy in Theory and Practice

Part of the book series: Canada and International Affairs ((CIAF))

Abstract

If a country’s defence policy cannot avoid dealing with the geographical space, Canada faces a major problem given the vast size of the territory to be defended. But territory plays a paradoxical role in the Canadian case. While most Canadians understand that their geostrategic location has historically kept them secure, the government, when it talks about defence, rarely invokes geography. Instead, defence statements encourage Canadians to conceive of the broader strategic environment in which their country operates in an “a-geographic” way—in other words, without reference to geography as a determinant of policy. This chapter explores this paradox, arguing that ministers have much the same view of Canada’s strategic geography as those they represent and govern. The result is that defence policy statements are purposely framed a-geographically in order to mask the realities of Canada’s strategic geography.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Political Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Kim Richard Nossal

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  1. Kim Richard Nossal
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Correspondence to Kim Richard Nossal .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Thomas Juneau

  2. Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Philippe Lagassé

  3. Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Srdjan Vucetic

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Nossal, K.R. (2020). The Imperatives of Canada’s Strategic Geography. In: Juneau, T., Lagassé, P., Vucetic, S. (eds) Canadian Defence Policy in Theory and Practice. Canada and International Affairs. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26403-1_2

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