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CANADA
CANADA
The name Canada comes from the Iroquois word for town, establishment or set of
cabins, referring to the site that is now the city of Quebec. The explorer Jacques Cartier
discovered Canada. Initially populated by native Inuit, First Nation, and Métis peoples
the competition between these two countries was resolved after the Seven Year’s War, when
At that time most of the population was French but in the following decades
thousands of British colonists emigrated to Canada from the British Islands and the American
colonies. In 1873 a parliamentary federal government was established under the British
crown. Canada was proclaimed an independent dominion within the British Empire in
December of 1931. The British crown became monarch of Canada. The British parliament
granted direct authority to the Canadian parliament to run day-to-day operations, although
important legal decisions were still made back in the United Kingdom. Canada finally
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, who is represented by the Governor General, a symbolic
figure with no real authority. Executive authority lies with the prime minister, who is
generally the leader of the political party with the greatest number of benches in the House of
Commons. The prime minister in turn names his cabinet positions from the House (Enciso
2007, 104).
Canada has three political parties in which the majority of power is concentrated; they
include the centrist Liberal Party, the right-leaning Conservative Party, and the left-leaning
New Democratic Party. A fourth player of note, the Bloc Québécois, is a regional party in
Quebec, who supports a separatist position, and generally represents those of French heritage.
The liberal party has governed during 32 of the last 42 years of political life in Canada.
Canada is divided into ten provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New
Brunswick, Newfoundland and Farmer, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and
Saskatchewan. There are also three territories: the Northwest, the Yukon, and Nunavut.
Canada covers most of the North American continent with a surface area slightly
greater than that of the United States. Canada shares an 8,893 kilometer border with the same,
extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. Canada covers
41% of North America and has the second most surface area of any country on Earth. It has a
varied topography and is rich in natural resources. Canada has huge reserves of oil and large
quantities of fresh water – sixty percent of the world’s lakes are in Canada. The southern part
SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
This analysis will begin with an examination of Canada’s internal strengths and
location is one of its greatest strengths. Canada enjoys the natural protection of the harsh
arctic climate to the north; to the west and east lie equally forbidding landscapes in the form
of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Finally, to the south lies the robust security of the United
In addition to the natural protection of its borders, Canada enjoys the security benefits
of membership in NATO. Initially formed after World War II to resist Communism, NATO
stands as an unequalled military coalition now that the Soviet Union has disappeared.
Although NATO is less united than it has been in the past, the disappearance of the imminent
The defining aspect of Canada’s membership in NATO is its close military alliance
with the United States, especially the joint operations with NORAD. In 2004, Canada added
its missile warning capabilities to NORAD (Canada’s International Policy Statement 2005,
22). Canada renewed its working agreement with the US in May 2006, and with that
agreement NORAD added the mission of maritime warning (Canada First Defence Strategy
2008, 8). A strong commitment to cooperation and interoperability with US forces and
After twelve consecutive years of liberal party control of the Canadian government,
the conservative party won the election in 2006, running on a platform of increased security
and a modernized military. Security enhancements began after the attacks of 9/11, a full five
years before power was handed over to the opposition party; therefore, completion of security
enhancement plans can be expected to succeed regardless of ruling party. Increased security
includes the establishment of two new Maritime Security Operations Centers in Halifax and
Esquimalt, which will enhance monitoring and security of arctic waters (Canada’s
International Policy Statement 2005, 16). Among many programs, another of note is the
creation of an Integrated Threat Assessment Centre, which will greatly enhance Canadian
intelligence (Ibid.). The Canada First Defense Strategy outlines a twenty year plan to
increase military manning and recapitalize nearly every major war machine in the Army,
In addition to military measures, a comprehensive security plan was laid out in the
2004 National Security Policy. It includes details of the creation of a new governmental
department overseeing Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, a new executive Cabinet
Committee on Security, Public Health and Emergencies to coordinate and direct national
efforts, and a National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister. Other focus areas include
Canada responded to the attacks of 9/11 with a comprehensive government overhaul of every
aspect of security for the Canadian citizen, and this may very well be Canada’s greatest
strength.
In the economic arena, Canada finds relative strength in the fact that it has minimal
exposure to toxic US mortgage securities; while the global financial crisis ravages the
industrialized economies of the world, Canada so far is largely unscathed. Although the
global slowdown, the US recession, and the strength of the Canadian dollar have all hurt the
eco, Canada generally enjoys solid budgets, revenue, and debt management. Canada is
extremely strong in natural resources, especially fresh water, oil, natural gas, and timber.
Energy scarcity and climate change stand to increase the value of fresh water and oil going
forward. Finally, Canada has a strong national “green” interest, which should help the
To summarize, Canada has a strong awareness of its security needs, plans to enhance
the military and other security apparatus’, and is abundant in natural resources.
WEAKNESSES
One of the strengths listed above reveals a current weakness; the fact that Canada is
expanding military manning and modernizing its equipment belies the fact that the military is
overextended, with an aging force structure. This is largely due to budget decisions by the
governments of the nineties, which focused instead on balancing the budget and underfunded
the military.
While this weakness is being addressed, Canada’s greatest potential weakness is not:
the persistent threat of Quebec secession. The secessionists are represented by the Bloc
Quebecois, and in October of 2008 they won 49 of 308 seats in parliament, a number that is
relatively steady in recent years. The current conservative government wooed Quebec
recognizing Quebec as a ‘nation’ within Canada”. These efforts appear to have made little
headway, and the Bloc Quebecois has already agreed to unite with the Liberal and Green
parties to try to oust the ruling Conservatives. The problem remains, and although low in
likelihood, a successful secession would cause a drastic and permanent weakening of Canada.
-- is approximately ten percent of the population of the US. Although industrialized, Canada
is a relatively small state, with a smaller industrial base, military, budget, and revenue. The
result is less fiscal flexibility. Major projects and changes have to be carefully planned and
executed. This weakness is magnified when considering national power on the international
scene.
from the US. Acid rain has been a hot topic in Canada for decades, and just as Canada
benefits economically due to its proximity to the US, it suffers the pollution.
Although less exposed in real estate, Canada is still affected by financial crisis. The
Canadian stock market hit a low point of 7647 on 20 November 08, down from a high of
15154 on 18 June 2008. The market (Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX) is currently at 7949.
This loss in value is harming the Canadian economy; businesses are at risk, personal wealth
has dropped, unemployment is up, and government revenues are down. This is creating a
Linked to the crisis is the harm to Canadian exports, which are heavily linked to the
US economy; Canada exports approximately eighty percent of its goods to the US. The US is
in a recession, which will hurt Canada’s exports. Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) is
The crisis has caused a sharp fall in commodity prices, which is making it too
expensive to harvest the massive oil reserves in the tar sands of Alberta. This development
has slowed dramatically; it is estimated that oil must fetch 85-95 dollars per barrel before
these tar sands will be profitable, and oil is currently selling for approximately 40 dollars per
Canada clearly laid out its perceived external threats in its April 2004 National
Security Policy. It included such traditional threats as terrorism and proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction (WMD). The hazards of failed states and foreign espionage are also
listed. Less traditional threats include natural disasters, organized crime, and pandemics.
Canada also lists critical infrastructure vulnerability as a threat, including the risk of an
electrical blackout and/or cyber attack. Canada was particularly disturbed by the SARS
While a close alliance with the United States brings many economic and security
benefits for Canada, it also brings increased risk of being pulled into a major or continued
confrontation with terrorists. Close economic ties could lead to shared devastation if WMD
are successfully employed on US soil or at a US port; in a worst case scenario, the economic
disruption and damage from such an attack could last for decades.
Rising sea levels associated with climate change post a moderate threat to certain
parts of Atlantic Canada, such as Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick,
however the threats there are manageable; most of Canada’s coasts are largely undeveloped,
and the major urban areas are not particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.
OPPORTUNITIES
In general, the external opportunities that await Canada are more likely to occur than
the risks that might manifest from current threats. One of the brightest aspects of the coming
years is the flexibility available to Canada in its choices of national and international
priorities. Canada will continue to enjoy a largely “free ride” off the massive US security
overhauls, which will both keep it safer from traditional threats, as well as provide
opportunities for the best in military equipment and technology, without the costs of research
and development. Canada’s desire to establish international prestige and leadership through
official security and strategy documents (Canada’s International Policy Statement 2005, 24-
26; Canada First Defence Strategy 2008, 8-9; Canada NSS 2004, 47-52). With the US
tending to lose global influence, the years leading to 2020 could provide a ripe opportunity
for Canada to assume a leadership position either in the hemisphere, within NATO, or
worldwide through the UN. Recent experience in Afghanistan lends credibility and is
opportunity could exist to help bridge the gap between France and the US, perhaps
revitalizing NATO and bringing a renewed unity and identity to “the West”. Regardless,
enhanced military capability and shared benefits of increased US security will give Canada
Although its economy is smaller and less robust than some developed nations, the
future is bright for Canada, for its reserves in fresh water and oil stand to provide strong
revenue streams and growth in the future. Although its development is currently delayed due
to reduced oil prices, there are vast oil reserves in the sands of Alberta, to the tune of 175
billion barrels of oil, second only to Saudi Arabia. Increasing global population and energy
has not tended to seek global influence and leadership. If Canada were to wish a return to
isolationism, it could, allowing the US to shoulder the brunt of the attention of terrorists and
global troublemakers.
SUMMARIZATION OF SWOT ANALYSIS
.STRENGTHS: WEAKNESSES:
- pandemics
attack on the US