The Narrative of Canada as a Peacekeeping Nation since the 1990s: Permanence and Evolution of a National Paradigm

Abstract

Since the end of the Second World War, the government of Canada has regularly emphasized Canada's commitment to maintaining peace and liberty in the world through peacekeeping within the framework of the United Nations. Born in the 1950s, this narrative of Canada as a model peacekeeper held a central place in the successive Canadian governments' discourse on foreign policy and thus became an important element of the way Canadian national identity was defined. This article intends to analyze whether the narrative of Canada as a peacekeeping nation continued unchanged in more recent years. As we will show, since the 1990s, Canada's contributions to peacekeeping have undergone major changes. This article will examine whether these changes have been reflected in the official discourse on Canadian foreign policy produced by successive governments, both Liberal and Conservative, and whether, as a result, the narrative of Canada as a peacemaker is being challenged, and maybe replaced, by a new national narrative.