Canadian bicultural nationalism : implication for NATO and North American defense.

Abstract

The "Trudeau Doctrine" refers to the reordering of Canadian defense priorities which emphasized domestic determinants in the formulation of defense policy in the early 1970s. Contemporary analyses of Canadian affairs share a consensus that the doctrine failed, was abandoned, and replaced, by 1976, by Canada's traditional foreign policy. This thesis examines the development of Canadian bicultural nationalism prior to 1968 and re-examines the formulation of Canadian defense policy between 1963-1973. The "Trudeau Doctrine" is shown to be a successful continuation of Prime Minister Trudeau 's basic political aims: suppression of politicized bicultural nationalism and development of national unity. Inconsistencies in the conventional interpretation of Canadian affairs and the consistent operation of the "Trudeau Doctrine" in defense policy formulation between 1963 and 1978 are demonstrated. The implications of continued operation of the "Trudeau Doctrine" for NATO and North American defense are assessed.