The late Canadian diplomat and commentator John Wendell Holmes believed that the best public policy emerged out of an appreciation of history and context. In partnership with the John Holmes Trust, CIGI published an essay series titled Situating Canada in a Changing World: Constructing a Modern and Prosperous Future. The series reflects on six contemporary themes in Canadian foreign and security policy, with historians considering the background of each issue and practitioners responding with a view to the future. Together, the essays demonstrate the value of history to a decision maker’s analytical calculus and offer practical suggestions to inform Canada’s response to the challenges ahead.

Timothy Andrews Sayle, associate professor of history and director of the International Relations Program at the University of Toronto, who will discuss his essay, “Canadian National Security in Historical Perspective,” and contemporary essayist Laurence Deschamps-Laporte, assistant professor of political science and scientific director at the Montreal Centre for International Studies at l’Université de Montréal, will reflect on her essay, “Deterrence of Partisanship as Canadian National Security Strategy.”