Canada's role in globalization and political change

Canada

Politics & Governance

Politically, Canada has been dramatically reshaped by globalization. The country's political system was developed to reflect the proverbial two solitudes -- English and French -- but overhaul has been necessitated by an influx of millions of immigrants, and the changing views of Canadian society with respect to the nation's role in the world. This section will highlight the macro-level picture first, and then illustrate some lower-level examples of the role that globalization plays in Canadian politics.

At the macro level, Canada has long been a proponent of neoliberal views, and therefore has been one of the most ardent supporters of globalization. The free trade act that was developed with the U.S. In the 1980s has become a model for similar trade agreements all over the world, in terms of defining the different things traded, the move towards lower trade barriers and the dispute resolution infrastructure.

Canada was an early member of the UN and NATO, and has since been one of the drivers of economic globalization under the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other similar international bodies. I would cite the WTO as proof of that but if the Bank of Canada is not considered a reliable source about Canadian economics then obviously the World Trade Organization is not a reliable source about its own membership. At the end of the day, Canada is a member of a lot of international groups.

I do not feel that it is right to pass judgment as to whether this is beneficial or not for Canada. That would require having a clear ethical paradigm from which to make such a judgment -- I could run with utilitarianism but even then I would need to measure the present outcomes against theoretical alternative outcomes should Canada have chosen a different course with respect to its participation in international politics and governance. Further, such judgments would be not peer-reviewed, which renders them utterly devoid of worth.

Canada's politics have also reflected the influence of globalization. Many new migrant are refugees or otherwise come to Canada as economic migrants, and this affects their politics. Bilodeau (2008) notes that new immigrants from repressive regimes are often not given to protest politics. They lack the culture of political protest, because of the consequences, and in many cases these immigrants never learn to fully appreciate the power of political protest, even protests at the ballot box. This research confirmed this finding in another society highly affected by recent immigration, Australia. Subsequent generations may learn to appreciate the value of protest, but immigrants to Canada tend to avoid protest parties and favor the status quo parties (Bilodeau, 2008).

This can be found for example in the lack of appetite that new immigrants have for the protest politics of Quebec's separatist parties. Having been roundly defeated yet again in 2014, these parties have appeal limited not only to those who are not immigrants but who do not have much contact with immigrants either. This is another dimension of how globalization has affected Canadian politics. Voting patterns from the last federal election show a sharp distinction between communities with large amounts of immigrants and communities with more limited exposure -- those communities characterized more by one of the "two solitudes." In urban Vancouver and Toronto especially, the Conservative Party has trouble winning seats; whereas it thrives in the more monoracial suburbs, and rural areas. Canada's two new political solitudes are the areas of the country with a high level of globalization and those areas of the country with a relatively low level of globalization. Where globalization levels are high -- both Toronto and Vancouver rank high for their foreign-born populations and as leading cities in the world -- politics tend to skew more towards the same neoliberal and outright socialist paradigms. Canadians in these areas have a greater awareness of international issues and therefore have a higher level of concern not just with the opportunities presented by globalization but with how best to leverage the country's demographic changes to make Canada a better place.

Development

Canada is also a country of tremendous natural beauty. Vast expanses of nature are embedded in the national character, and this has created some clashes with respect to the economic aspects of globalization. Development of Canada's oil and natural gas fields is thus becoming an important element of globalization's clash with traditional Canadian values. In a microcosm, this is one of the effects of globalization around the world- an ethical dilemma pitting short-term economic benefit against more long-term values such as social and environmental justice. Multinational companies are driving the development of the Alberta tar sands, and pushing for pipeline access to foreign markets, either in the U.S. Or in China. Canada is self-sufficient for energy and has no need to further develop these fields for its own uses, leading to the conflict.

The federal government has yet to rule on the Keystone pipeline, for example, but it will in the coming months. The issue failed a contentious vote in Kitimat, BC, a community that stands to have tremendous economic gain from the pipeline. The public response to development as an issue has shaped corporate and political response as well. Levy and Kolk (2002) noted over a decade ago that multinationals in the oil industry face pressure as the result of climate change, one of the main negative externalities that has come from globalization. Canada wants to be seen as an environmental leader, but this juxtaposes with a need to continue fostering economic development. The response of multinationals has essentially been to avoid public engagement that could prove costly -- they greatly misjudged the situation in Kitimat -- because they know that public views can shape political strategy in a liberal democracy.