The Liberal party in Canada, lead by Justin Trudeau, shocked the world with a big, big win in hotly contested national elections. The Liberal ascent ends a near decade in power for the conservative Stephen Harper and has the potential to fundamentally re-balance Canada’s relationship with the world, so says my guest today Janice Stein who is the founding director of the Munk School of International Affairs at the University of Toronto.
We spoke the morning after the elections and have a truly interesting conversation about the discrete changes we can expect in Canadian foreign policy and how those changes may affect international relations and global affairs more broadly. We discuss what’s called “Middle Power Diplomacy” in academic circles, Canada’s role in climate politics, why this win might signal a Canadian return to a more cooperative relationship with the United Nations, and why the Obama administration may be none too pleased with some of the changes to come.
Foreign policy nerds and Canada-philes will love this episode.