With Canada Day upon us, Ottawa faces unprecedented challenges to the nation's sovereignty and prosperity, and a stark reality: The international order that enabled Canada’s middle power diplomacy for seven decades is dead.
The return of great power competition, exemplified by recent American economic coercion, persistent Chinese economic pressure and foreign interference demands a fundamental transformation of Canadian foreign policy. The choice is not between independence and alignment, but between strategic adaptation and irrelevance.
The events of the past six months have crystallized what should have been obvious for years. When U.S. President Donald Trump imposed his 25% tariffs while musing about Canadian statehood, he merely articulated what American actions have long implied: that Washington views allied relationships through a transactional lens where power asymmetries define outcomes.
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