Security for Canada

I am Nelson Michaud, professor of international relations at the École nationale d’administration publique in Quebec City.

Security questions can be looked at under different angles. Most people will consider border security, territorial security and personal security as prime issues. However, there are other ways to look at the question. For instance, I would say that security is a matter that cannot be looked at only in absolute terms. The general discourse is that security has to be dealt with first and foremost and any other question trumps security in this post September 11th environment. However, security also deals with personal issues, environment and several other matters in several other fields. In this regard, it is important to look at security questions in a relative way instead of an absolute way.

Consequently, when we look at security as a more relative question, it is important to consider that security is not dealt with by only one sole player. The United States of America are presently, as Hubert Vidrine, the former French Foreign Minister said, a “hyper power”. However, if we leave to the United States the sole responsibility of the management of security questions, there might be some unbalance. Some countries can see this unbalance as threatening, and in itself, this would not serve very well the Canadian interests. I will take an example that comes immediately to mind. If you look at the issue of the missile shield, it is often said that Canada should leave the United States to operate the whole thing by themselves. If such a thing happened, some countries might see in it a dramatic increase in the United States’ power, which is already large. But this increase could cause some major concerns. Canada, by participating in the implementation of this policy, might very well help ease the tensions that would otherwise come with a unilateral action from the United States. So it is very important to ensure that not only one actor, but several actors – all actors interested in international security -, are involved in the process.


Dr. Michaud's article (in French only):
  Le Canada, sa souveraineté et la sécurité: défi ou dilemme? Sécurité mondiale, septembre 2002, p.3.