Dollars and sense? The Harper government, economic diplomacy, and Canadian foreign policy

Abstract

Over its near-decade of governance, Canada’s Conservative government developed an international agenda that narrowly construed international engagement as economic diplomacy. Rooted in the Conservatives’ desire to establish themselves with voters as shrewd stewards of the Canadian economy, economic and commercial calculations took precedence, trumping even military spending and the Arctic, both defining portfolios for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. We demonstrate the economic essence of the Conservative government’s international agenda and examine outcomes related to trade, the extractive resource sector, and the Canada–US relationship. We argue that the dramatic overhaul of Canada’s public diplomacy, strategic and security agendas, and global cooperation initiatives was a result of a limited conception of foreign policy that prioritized economic and commercial objectives. The legacy of economic diplomacy is a renewed focus on the question of international engagement as a means to a Canadian end as a new Liberal government contends with the consequences of economic diplomacy.