'Whatever Happened to Canada?' the world sees a lack of Canadian foreign policy

Recently an older acquaintance of mine, aware that I worked on Canadian issues, asked me, “What ever happened to Canada? We used to hear so much about what Canada did around the world and now we don’t hear anything.”

I don’t recall exactly how I responded to the question. There is no easy answer but, instead, a long set of explanations that point to the recent crisis in the direction of Canadian foreign policy. Though not necessarily the subject of media attention outside Canada, Canadian self-reflection on foreign policy, identity and Canada’s role in the world has been ongoing for …