Video: History Helps Define Canada’s Future in a Changing World

Speaker: Adam Chapnick

April 25, 2022

Video: History Helps Define Canada’s Future in a Changing World

This video is a part of Situating Canada in a Changing World: Constructing a Modern and Prosperous Future, an essay series that reflects on six contemporary themes in Canadian foreign and security policy.

The late Canadian diplomat John Wendell Holmes believed that the best public policy emerged out of an appreciation of history and context.

In the past, Canada has aimed to play an outsized role on the world stage, thanks, in part, to its close ties with both the United Kingdom and the United States.

With Western dominance waning and states such as China gaining influence, Canada needs a new strategy for an unfamiliar and potentially unfriendly world order.

History will help define this strategy.

In this video, Adam Chapnick explains how history will help define this strategy and introduces Situating Canada in a Changing World: Constructing a Modern and Prosperous Future, an essay series sponsored by the Holmes Trust that reflects on six contemporary themes in Canadian foreign and security policy.

Post–world war institutions are under strain.

Climate change, authoritarianism and digital technology governance are all pressing concerns.

Western dominance is waning in this increasingly complex global environment. States like China are gaining influence.

Canada has historically aimed to punch above its weight on the world stage, primarily, at least at first, through its close ties to the United Kingdom and, more recently, through its ties to the United States.

But times have changed. How can Canada position itself in an increasingly unfamiliar and unfriendly world environment?

The late Canadian diplomat John Wendell Holmes believed that the best public policy came from an appreciation of history and context.

With that in mind, this new essay series reflects upon six contemporary themes in Canadian foreign and security policy.

Historians consider the background of each issue, accompanied by practitioners offering tangible suggestions to inform Canada’s response to the challenges ahead.

For media inquiries, usage rights or other questions please contact CIGI.

The opinions expressed in this article/multimedia are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of CIGI or its Board of Directors.

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A CIGI Essay Series

Situating Canada in a Changing World: Constructing a Modern and Prosperous Future

The late Canadian diplomat and commentator John Wendell Holmes believed that the best public policy emerged out of an appreciation of history and context. This essay series, sponsored by the Holmes Trust, 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.

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