ABSTRACT
Canada is the middle Power ‘par excellence’. At the first sight, Canada seems to match closely with the concept as it is usually understood: neither a Great Power nor a small Power; some significant international interests but not the resources to defend or to promote them unilaterally; and displaying some elements linked with the notion of Great Power, but not all. The Canadian Government can thus count on some resources (like a developed economy, a highly educated population, or the control over some strategic raw materials) to gain some international influence; but it clearly lacks others (for instance, significant military power or a large population). Canadian officials were amongst the first to use the concept of ‘middle Power’ during and after the Second World War to secure Canada’s place in the post-war international order; reminding the Great Powers that they could not dominate the world in a restricted Concert without the support of the other smaller Powers whose contributions were significant, if not crucial, to the victory of 1945.
