Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

News from Canada

• PM Carney takes global spotlight with candid autopsy of the “rules-based” international order

News from Berkeley

• Op-ed: “What is Canada’s Place in this Fragmented New World?”

Upcoming Event

• Panel: Navigating the Tensions in Canada’s Climate & Energy Policy

Academic Opportunities

• Call for Papers: Canada’s Peoples, Places, and Polities from Below: A View from the US in Times of Cross-Border Fracture and National Reaffirmation

External Events

• Belief and Doubt in Roch Carrier’s “The Hockey Sweater”

• Cal Performances Concert: Bruce Liu, piano

NEWS FROM CANADA

PM Carney Takes Global Spotlight With Candid Autopsy of the “Rules-Based” International Order

Prime Minister Mark Carney made international news last week with a provocative speech in which he laid out a path forward for mid-sized countries in an uncertain and hostile geopolitical climate. Speaking to assembled world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Prime Minister offered a stark diagnosis of a global order increasingly comprised of isolated “fortresses” and ruled by hegemons that no longer make any pretense of complying with a rules-based order. Leaders must adapt, Carney said, to a world where the great powers deploy overt economic coercion in pursuit of their interests.

While the Prime Minister did not name any specific countries or individuals, he was unusually blunt in condemning the naked power-politics that have lately come to define international relations. Carney declared that global economic integration has become a tool used by the great powers to coerce smaller countries. He called out tariffs twice, specifically denouncing their deployment on the Greenland question.

Unexpectedly, Carney also refused to eulogize the former “rules-based order”. He admitted that the previous system was in part a “pleasant fiction” that never applied equally to great powers like the United States. Countries like Canada nevertheless went along with this pretense to enjoy the benefits associated with the predictability of American hegemony.

That fiction is no longer tenable in a renewed “era of great power rivalry”. Carney urged countries to stop “invoking the ‘rules-based international order'” which has clearly become moribund, if it ever existed. Smaller countries cannot pretend they are on equal footing with great powers, which wield a vastly superior arsenal of tools of coercion and seek to pit lesser countries against each other in a competition for favor. Bilateral negotiation with a hegemon, said Carney, is “the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination”.

Instead, Carney called for issue-based coalition building among likeminded countries. He also pushed increased economic diversification, acknowledging that such agreements must be “value-based” but also pragmatic. Only in this way can such countries hope to gain leverage in negotiations with vastly more powerful hegemons. Middle powers must take an active role in creating stronger and more inclusive international systems, rather than relying on diminished legacy institutions: “The middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”

Carney’s remarks quickly became an international sensation and have become the defining moment of the forum. The Prime Minister received a standing ovation at Davos, and his comments quickly spread through international media, to both approval and controversy. Multiple world leaders praised Carney’s speech; California governor Gavin Newsom lauded Carney for his “courage of convictions”.

However, the speech also earned a strong rebuke from the US government. President Trump denounced Canada’s ingratitude to the US, telling reporters that “Canada lives because of the United States“. In addition, Trump withdrew Canada’s invitation to join his nascent global “Board of Peace”, and threatened “Governor Carney” with 100% tariffs on Canadian goods if it made a separate trade deal with China.

And even some who agree with Carney’s analysis of the present moment question whether his proposed remedies are substantive enough, or whether the Prime Minister is committed enough to the radical change that such a fundamental break will require.

Watch the Prime Minister’s address here, or read the full text of his remarks here.

NEWS FROM BERKELEY

Opinion: “What is Canada’s place in this fragmented new world?”

“When it feels as though the world is falling apart, it is up to Canada to show that a liberal democracy can still deliver for its people.”

That’s the argument UC Berkeley graduate student Kevin Yin makes in his latest column in The Globe & Mail. Kevin, a doctoral student in economics, is contributing columnist for the newspaper on Canada’s economy and global affairs.

Kevin asserts that Canada has an important role to play as the global liberal consensus dissolves, and countries increasingly sort into geopolitical blocs. With the US eschewing its former global leadership, Canada must “lead by example” to show that a rules-based, democratic order can be viable in an increasingly cynical geopolitical climate. At the same time, Canada must take a front-line position in developing coalitions to defend not just its material interests, but the values that underpin its society.

UPCOMING EVENT

Thurs., Feb. 5 | 2:00 pm | 223 Philosophy Hall | RSVP

Canada has an international reputation as an outspoken proponent of ambitious climate change action. At the same time, Canada has the third-largest oil reserves in the world, and the petroleum industry represents a critical sector of the Canadian economy, especially in Alberta. Federal policymakers walk a difficult line between economic growth, energy security, and environmental stewardship, and disagreements over hydrocarbon policy have been a frequent source of inter-provincial tension. This panel will explore how the politics of this issue have evolved over time, and how Canada can navigate difficult policy tradeoffs at a time of global and domestic uncertainty.

About the Panelists

The Hon. Alison Redford served as the 14th Premier of Alberta from 2011 to 2014. Before being elected premier, she served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly representing Calgary and as Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General. She currently serves as a permanent board member for Invest Alberta.

Dr. Peter Bevan-Baker has served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island for over ten years. He was the first Green Party member elected to the provincial legislature, and served as Leader of the Official Opposition from 2019-23, the first Green to ever assume that role at any level of Canadian government.

Michele Cadario is the Executive Vice President of Rubicon Strategy. She has 25 years of experience in federal and provincial politics, and previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Paul Martin and to BC Premier Christy Clark.

Please note that this event starts at 2:00 pm.

This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Bluma Appel Fund, the Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco, and The Porter O’Brien Agency.

This event will have a remote attendance option via Zoom. Please select the “virtual attendance” in the RSVP form to receive the link.

If you require an accommodation to participate fully in this event, please let us know with as much advance notice as possible by emailing canada@berkeley.edu.

ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Extended deadline: February 16 | Learn more

The UC Berkeley Canadian Studies Program is honored to co-sponsor an edited volume exploring how US-based scholars understand Canada amid growing cross-border tension and renewed debates over Canadian identity. This project is being organized in partnership with Canadian Studies programs at Western Washington University, Bridgewater State University, the University of Maine, and SUNY Plattsburgh.

We encourage proposals from scholars at all career stages, including graduate students and post-doctoral scholars.

If you are interested in contributing, please submit an abstract of 300-350 words to the Center for Canadian-American Studies at Western Washington University at canam@wwu.edu.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Belief and Doubt in Roch Carrier’s “The Hockey Sweater”

Wed., Jan. 28 | 4:00 pm PT | Online | RSVP

Since its publication in 1979, “The Hockey Sweater” has become perhaps the most well-known story about hockey in Canada. Canadians love the story because it reinforces a nostalgic and traditional view of hockey’s place in Canada and a view of Canadian identity rooted in the hockey myth. If “The Hockey Sweater” is read in context, however, and with attention to the subtle clues within it about what has been left out to create its nostalgic picture, a quite different version of the story – and of Canadian identity – emerges.

Jamie Dopp is a professor of Canadian literature at the University of Victoria. He has published two novels, three collections of poetry, and edited two volumes on sports and literature in Canada.

This event is brought to you by the Center for Canadian-American Studies at Western Washington University and the Foundation for WWU & Alumni.

Cal Performances Concert: Bruce Liu, Piano

Tues., Feb. 10 | 7:30 pm | Zellerbach Hall | Tickets

Ever since taking first prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2021, Chinese Canadian pianist Bruce Liu has been on the rise, with recitals on many of the world’s most prestigious concert stages. His Cal Performances debut program features a selection of that award-winning Chopin, Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata, and a trio of pieces inspired by Spanish themes.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

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