ABSTRACT
Over the past half a century, Canada’s regional loyalties – particularly its complex relationship with the United States – have largely supplanted the Commonwealth in determining the broad contours of Canadian foreign policy. This can be seen in two main contemporary trends: Canada’s trade and commercial priorities and its embrace of a continental security agenda. However, while Canada’s ‘turn’ to its region follows its national economic and security interests, there have always been countervailing factors pressing Canada to maintain its global outlook and responsibilities – most often through multilateral diplomacy. Moreover, in substantive terms, many of the core issues that define Canadian foreign policy today are also priorities for members of the Commonwealth, particularly the effectiveness of foreign aid and the future of multilateral peacekeeping. This helps to explain why Canada’s bilateral relationships with many Commonwealth countries continue to deepen and evolve, and its contribution to the Commonwealth as an institution remains active.
