POLI 435 Flashcards

10 September 1939 — Canada Declares War on Germany

A week after Britain declared war on Germany, PM Mckenzie King's government declared war on Germany after a special session and vote in Parliament. Tens of thousands of men enlisted in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The 1st Canadian Infantry Division set sail for the UK by the end of the year.

26 June 2013 — CIDA and DFAIT Merged to form DFATD

PM Harper merged the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), creating the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). The amalgamation was aimed to create a better alignment of foreign relations, trade, and development, improving foreign policy coordination.

13 October 1970 — Canada and People's Republic of China Establish Diplomatic Relations

After many years of negotiations, the two countries establish diplomatic relations. China insisted that the communiqué recognize its claim to Taiwan. Canada was unwilling to do so, instead declaring "the Canadian Government takes note of this position of the Chinese Government.” The “takes note" formula was later used by other countries to recognize PRC.

10 January 1920 — Admission to the League of Nations

Following the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, where PM Robert Borden successfully insisted on Canada's right to sign independently of Britain due to its wartime sacrifices, the League of Nations was established. On this date Canada officially became a founding League member. This marked a transition from colony to autonomous sovereign actor, securing Canada's independence in global affairs.

2 April 1965 — Pearson's "Stop the Bombing" Temple University Speech

While visiting Philadelphia to receive a world peace award, PM Lester B. Pearson delivered a speech at Temple University suggesting a pause in the American bombing of North Vietnam. The immediate result was a legendary confrontation at Camp David, where US President Lyndon B. Johnson grabbed Pearson by the lapels and accused him of interfering in American military affairs. Pearson's public statement marked a break from Canada's tradition of private consultation with its closest security partner.

12 December 2011 — Canada Withdraws from Kyoto Protocol

Environment Minister Peter Kent announced Canada’s formal withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol. The Harper government framed Kyoto as an injustice that would obligate Canada to pay an estimated $14 billion in penalities (e.g., carbon credits) while the world’s largest emitters (USA, China, India) remained unbound. This decision signalled a shift in foreign policy that prioritized domestic extractive industries over unevenly shared multilateral climate commitments.

24 February 2022 — Canada Imposes New Sanctions Following Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

The day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Canada imposed new sanctions on Russian individuals and entities, and restricted exports. Canada condemned the invasion and coordinated its response with allies and partners, announcing additional military aid five days later. Canada's sustained diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia, and economic and military assistance to Ukraine, became a central focus of Trudeau's Liberal government.

17 March 2022 — Canada Launches Emergency Travel Program for Ukrainians

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada launched the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), a temporary residence pathway allowing Ukrainians and eligible family members fleeing the war to enter Canada with easy access to work and study permits. The program became a major component of Canada's broader response to the invasion, showing how immigration policy was used alongside diplomatic and economic measures to respond to an international crisis.

29 May 2018 — Federal Government Purchases Trans Mountain Pipeline

The Trudeau government announced purchase of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Pipeline system and its expansion project for $4.5 billion, after uncertainty over the project's future threatened construction. Ottawa placed the assets under a Crown corporation. The decision was significant for Canadian foreign policy because the pipeline was intended to expand Canada's access to international energy markets and reduce its reliance on the United States as its primary oil export destination. The TMX expansion was completed in May 2024 at a cost of $34 billion.

2 March 1923 — Canada's Halibut Treaty Signed Independently

The Halibut Treaty with the United States, related to fishing rights in the Pacific Ocean and the establishment of the International Pacific Halibut Commission, was the first Canadian treaty negotiated and signed independently from Britain. It signalled increaseing Canadian autonomy and foreign policy independence.

6 June 1956 — Canada Approves the First Trans-Canada Pipeline

PM Louis St. Laurent and his powerful Minister of Trade and Commerce C. D. Howe approved federal funding for the Trans-Canada Pipeline after invoking "closure" in the House to limit debate and launch construction. The 3700 km pipeline began shipping Alberta natural gas to Toronto in Oct 1958, but the financing and closure controversy contributed to the Liberals election loss in 1957 despite strengthening Canada's energy sector.

18 July 1979 — Canada Admits "Boat People" from Southeast Asia

PM Joe Clark's government announced Canada would accept 50,000 Southeast Asian refugees through government and private sponsorship. Ultimately, over 60,000 were accepted by the end of 1980, over half through the new private sponsorship system.This helped strengthen Canada's reputation for humanitarian action.

8 January 1959 — Canada Maintains Diplomatic Relations with Castro's Cuba

Following the Cuban Revolution, PM Diefenbaker's government formally recognized Castro's government, maintaining diplomatic relations first established in 1945. While the USA recognized Castro's regime the day before, Canada maintained continuous diplomatic and trade relations with Cuba after the USA broke diplomatic relations in January 1961, showing Canada's willingness to pursue an independent approach in the Americas.

1 June 2017 — Canada Introduces its Feminist International Assistance Policy

Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development, launched the Feminist International Assistance Policy to place gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at the centre of Canada's international development assistance. The policy reshaped Canada's development priorities and strengthened its international commitment to reducing poverty and promoting inclusive, sustainable development.

18 December 1998 — Canada Signs the Rome Statute

Canada and Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy played a leading role in building a coalition to support an International Criminal Court, signing the Rome Statute on this date, and ratifying in July 2000. The agreement created a permanent international court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Canada's support reinforced its commitment at the time to a human security agenda.

May 8 1871 — Treaty of Washington Signed (but not by Canada)

Great Britain signed a treaty with the USA to establish fishing and transit on the Great Lakes and Atlantic, averting major conflict with the USA. It also established a pathway to settle the San Juan Islands boundary dispute in the Pacific Northwest. It was the first time a Canadian representative (PM Sir John A. Macdonald) was included in a British diplomatic delegation, but the PM signed as a British plenipotentiary, not as a Canadian. Canada had minimal influence on its foreign policy.

May 4 1910 — The birth of Royal Canadian Navy

The Naval Service Act created Canada’s first permanent navy amid growing concern over imperial defence, and whether Canada should contribute directly to Britain’s Royal Navy or build its own force. PM Laurier’s government chose a Canadian-controlled naval service and purchased two former Royal Navy cruisers for training and coastal defence in the Atlantic and Pacific. By the end of the First World War, the RCN had employed over 130 vessels.

August 29 1917 — Canada introduces its first military draft

The Military Service Act made military service compulsory for most unmarried Canadian men aged 20 to 45, as voluntary enlistment failed to meet manpower needs of, partiularly, the Canadian Corps. This deeply divided the country, especially between English and French Canada, and became one of the most politically damaging domestic consequences of Canada’s participation in the First World War. The Wartime Elections Act temporarily gave the federal vote to female relatives of servicemen as a strategy for the government to secure support for conscription, which helped to increase PM Borden's Union majority in December 1917.

20 April 1941 — Canada and USA issue Hyde Park Declaration

PM Mackenzie King and President Roosevelt agreed to coordinate Canadian and American war production so that Canada could obtain needed U.S. materials and components while continuing to supply Britain. The agreement helped solve Canada’s wartime U.S.-dollar shortage by integrating defence procurement and production across the border. It also deepened the economic and strategic foundations of the Canada-U.S. wartime partnership.

17 October 1972 — The “Third Option” Publically Proposed

Proposal made by Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs Mitchell Sharp to reduce Canadian economic dependence on the USA by strengthening and developing the Canadian economy and diversifying international trade. The Pierre Trudeau government pursued the strategy through measures promoting Canadian ownership, industrial development, and greater trade diversification, particularly toward Europe and Japan, but entrenched continental economic ties meant that Canada’s dependence on the U.S. declined far less than hoped.

9 December 2022 — The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy Released

Liberal Justin Trudeau's government launched its critical minerals strategy to position Canada as a reliable, global supplier for materials required for traditional and green, net-zero economic transitions. It sought to build complete Canadian value chains-from exploration and mining through processing and manufacturing-while positioning Canada as a reliable supplier to allied markets, linking domestic industrial development to cleaner technologies, supply-chain security, and reduced dependence on concentrated foreign sources (especially China).

1 October 1966 — Canada Replaces the Dept of Citizenship and Immigration with Dept of Manpower and Immigration

PM Pearson's government created the Department of Manpower and Immigration in 1966, combining immigration administration with federal manpower, employment, and labour-market programs. The reorganization reflected a growing view that immigration should contribute directly to Canada’s workforce and economic development, and helped set the institutional groundwork for the non-discriminatory points system introduced in 1967.

1 July 1974 — Canada lowers tariffs for some developing countries through GPT

PM Pierre Trudeau's government introduced General Preferential Tariff (GPT), allowing selected goods from eligible developing countries enter Canada at lower tariff rates than under the standard Most-Favoured-Nation (GATT) tariff. Created as part of the UN-backed Generalized System of Preferences, the program was intended to help developing economies expand exports and industrialize by improving their access to Canadian markets.

14 October 2024 — Canada Announces Expulsion of Indian Diplomats over Nijjar Killing Allegations

PM Justin Trudeau's government expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials, alleging that Indian government agents were involved in violent activity in Canada including the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the allegations and responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats, further escalating a diplomatic dispute that had been ongoing since 2023. The crisis severely strained bilateral relations, raised broader concerns about foreign interference, and generated significant political and community reaction among Indo-Canadians.

28 June 1919 — Canada Signs Treaty of Versailles after Paris Peace Conference

PM Borden successfully demanded separate Canadian representation at the Paris Peace Conference in recognition of Canada’s wartime contribution. Cabinet ministers Charles Doherty and Arthur Sifton signed the Treaty of Versailles on Canada’s behalf, although Canada remained formally within the British Empire delegation. The separate signature, followed by Canada’s independent membership in the League of Nations, marked an important step toward autonomy in foreign affairs.

13 May 1970 — Creation of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Headquartered in Ottawa, the IDRC was established as a public corporation by Parliament to support research meant to adapt science and technology to fit the needs of developing countries. Initially chaired by former PM Pearson, its creation gave Canada a distinctive development-policy instrument that funded research capacity in developing countries themselves, rather than relying only on Canadian-delivered aid, reinforcing Canada’s emerging international role in knowledge-based development cooperation.

12 June 2017 — Implementation of the Global Skills Strategy

The Global Skills Strategy, launched by PM Justin Trudeau's government, created faster work-permit processing for certain highly skilled foreign workers, including a two-week service standard for eligible applicants. It was designed to help Canadian firms, especially in technology and other high-growth sectors, recruit specialized international talent more quickly when comparable skills were difficult to find domestically. While other immigration pathways were drastically reduced a few years later, this one remained intact.

11 December 1931 — Canada gains Legislative Autonomy

The Statute of Westminster legally recognized Canada as autonomous and equal in status to Great Britain. It eliminated Britain’s legislative control and imperial supremacy, where British laws could override Canadian ones, granting Canada full power to make laws with extra-territorial operation. Removing these legal "anomalies” allowed Canada to manage foreign affairs on its "own initiative." This transition to inter-governmental co-operation enabled Canada to act as a sovereign international actor, particularly in

2 January 1942 — Canada signs the Declaration by the United Nations

In January 1942, Canada signed the Declaration by the United Nations, pledging its full military and economic resources against the Tripartite Pact. Signatories committed to a common struggle for life, liberty, and independence, vowing not to make a separate peace. This significant exercise of sovereignty in Canadian foreign policy affirmed Canada’s position as a sovereign actor committed to multilateral military cooperation. This shift toward international cooperation laid the foundation for the United Nations, established in 1945.

22 November 1944 — King Reverses Conscription Policy

In 1942, Prime Minister Mackenzie King held a plebiscite to release the government from its pledge against overseas conscription. While most Canadians showed support, 80% of French Canadians disagreed exposing deep cultural divides within the country. In 1944, lack of reinforcement in Europe forced King to deploy conscripts, creating tension and controversy. This crisis highlighted how fulfilling international obligations can threaten national unity. Subsequently, Canada shifted toward a post-war demilitarization era,

11 October 2021 — Canada Commits to the Global Methane Pledge

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson announced Canada's support for the Global Methane Pledge, a USA-European Union initiative to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. Canada paired the pledge with stronger domestic methane controls, particularly in the oil and gas sector, while using the initiative to reinforce climate cooperation with the United States and other major emitters The commitment reinforced Canada's climate diplomacy and cooperation with international partners while supporting domestic action to reduce methane emissions from the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors.

28 September 1988 — Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA) Becomes Law in USA

On this date CUSFTA was signed into US law by President Ronald Reagan. PM Mulroney and Reagan signed the draft agreement in January 1988 before the US House and Senate ratified the agreement. Mulroney then had to win a devisive "free trade election" in Canada in Nov 1988 before its coming into effect on 1 January 1989. CUSFTA reduced tariffs and trade barriers between Canada and the United States, strengthening economic integration and expanding bilateral trade.

28 June 2002 — Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) replaces Immigration Act

PM Chretien's government passed the IRPA in late 2001 and it came into force on this date, replacing the 1976 Immigration Act and establishing the modern legislative framework for immigration and refugee protection. It combined economic and family immigration objectives with refugee protection, border security and inadmissibility rules, while emphasizing the social, cultural and economic benefits of immigration to Canada

5 September 1945 — The Gouzenko Affair shocks official Ottawa

Soviet embassy cipher clerk Igor Gouzenko defected in Ottawa with documents exposing a Soviet espionage network operating in Canada. While the public did not learn about this until Februrary 1946, Gouzenko's revelations led to arrests, deepened security cooperation with Britain and the USA, the Taschereau-Kellock Royal Commission investigation, and heightened fears of communist infiltration. Coming only days after the end of the Second World War, the affair became an early and dramatic sign of the emerging Cold War.

13 January 1947 — Gray Lecture shifts Canada from international isolation to responsibility

External Affairs Minister Louis St. Laurent used the Gray Lecture at the University of Toronto to define five foundations for Canadian foreign policy: national unity, political liberty, the rule of law, human values, and acceptance of international responsibility. The speech rejected a return to interwar isolation and helped articulate the activist internationalism that soon underpinned Canada’s support for the UN, NATO, collective security, and a larger diplomatic role in the postwar order.

23 July 1968 — Canada Signs the NPT

PM Pierre Trudeau's government signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, supporting efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons while promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The treaty reinforced Canada's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, multilateral diplomacy, and global security: Canada signed as a non-nuclear-weapon state despite continuing to operate nuclear-capable forces within NATO and NORAD until 1984. Warheads remained US-owned and controlled under bilateral arrangements, allowing Canada to participate in allied nuclear deterrence without developing or possessing its own nuclear arsenal.

1 January 1982 — Trade Commissioner Service Integrated into External Affairs

In 1982, The Trade Comissioner Service integrated into the Department of External Affairs, brought Canada's trade pormotion activities together with its diplomatic network. Canadian diplomats and trade comissioners began working together to support exporters, attract foreign investment and advance Canada's commerical interests abroad. This integration strengthened coordination between economic and diplomatic parties and made trade promotion a central function of Canadian Foreignn Policy.

12 October 1999 — Human Security Formally Elevated in Canadian Foreign Policy

Foreign Minister Lloyd Asworthy introduced Canada's Human Secuirty Agenda, this focused on broadening Canada's Foregin Policy beyond protecting states to improvie the safety and well-being of individuals. This was formally elevated on October 12th 1999 in the speech from the Throne as a core pillar of Canadian Foreign policy.The agenda promoted intiatives such as Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personal landmines, the protection of civilians in armed conflict, international humanitarian law, and the establishment of International Criminal Court. It made Canada's position as an active supporter of mulitlateral cooperation and global humanitarin intiatives.

29 June 2021 — Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act Receives Royal Assent

The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, spearheaded by Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, received Royal Assent, enshrining Canada’s previous commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050 in federal law. It requires five-year emissions targets, reduction plans, progress and assessment reports, and independent advice, making successive governments more accountable for delivering on Canada’s international climate commitments.

18 December 2001 — ICISS releases report on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) framework to address global humanitarian crises

The International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), established under Canadian initiative, released its Responsibility to Protect (R2P) report. Building on the work of Canada's former Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy, the framework established the responsibility of states themselves as well as the international community to protect citizens from mass atrocities as a core element of state sovereignty, further cementing Canada's leadership in developing global human security norms.

1 March 1999 — "Ottawa Treaty" on landmines enters into force

The Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines entered into force as legally binding international law after reaching 40 ratifications. It prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines while also requiring mine clearance and victim assistance. In December 1997, Canada joined more than 100 states in Ottawa to sign the Convention. The treaty was the culmination of the Canadian-led “Ottawa Process,” closely associated with Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy and civil-society partners, and became one of the signature achievements of Canada’s human-security diplomacy.

22 February 1994 — Foreign Aid Slashed as Canada Confronts its Debt Crisis

Inheriting a growing federal deficit, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Finance Minister Paul Martin introduced their first federal budget on this date, imposing steep spending reductions including to the International Assistance Envelope (IAE): initially cut by 2% in 1994, much deeper reductions followed in the 1995 Program Review budget, contributing to a sharp decline in Canadian aid spending relative to national income. The GNI/ODA ratio would not return to over 0.3% until 2011 (far shy of the 0.7% goal promoted by the UN since 1970).

28 June 1976 — Canada Joins the G7

At the 1976 Puerto Rico summit, President Gerald Ford invited Canada to join the G6 despite French objections. Canada’s resource wealth and importance in addressing the oil crisis and global economic instability helped secure its place in the new G7, formally recognizing it as one of the world’s leading industrial economies.

12 December 1973 — FIRA Receives Royal Assent

The Foreign Investment Review Act was enacted by PM Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government and led to the creation of the Foreign Investment Review Agency in April 1974. Foreign takeovers and new foreign-owned businesses were reviewed to ensure they provided a “significant benefit to Canada.” The legislation responded to concerns about extensive foreign control of Canadian manufacturing and natural resources.

6 July 1985 — Canada Announced Significant New Sanctions against South Africa

External Affairs Minister Joe Clark announced the Mulroney government’s first package of economic measures against South Africa. Canada ended federal export and investment incentives, restricted sensitive technology exports, terminated its bilateral tax agreement, discouraged Krugerrand sales, and began phasing out the processing of Namibian uranium. These measures marked the beginning of Mulroney’s sustained campaign against apartheid.

August 1985 — The Polar Sea Icebreaker Challenges Sovereignty

In 1985, a US Coast Guard icebreaker named the Polar Sea passed through the Northwest Passage without formally requesting Canadian permission. Since Washington considered the waters an international strait, it proceeded although Canada considered the Arctic archipelago’s waters historic internal waters that needed a permission in order to pass through. As such, many Canadians saw this as a challenge to sovereignty and pushed the government to declare baselines around its Arctic islands in 1986 which shaped the later 1988 Arctic Cooperation Agreement.

7 February 1995 — Canada in the World Foreign Policy statement released

Canada in the World outlined the Chrétien government's three main foreign policy pillars in the post-Cold War era: promoting prosperity and employment, protecting Canadian security within a stable global order, and projecting Canadian values and culture. The statement emphasized trade competitiveness, multilateral institutions such as the UN and WTO, and Canadian cultural promotion abroad. The statement made prosperity and employment a central foreign-policy objective, formalizing the commercial-diplomacy approach already demonstrated by Chrétien’s first Team Canada trade mission to China in November 1994. It provided a policy framework for subsequent Team Canada missions and a broader effort to expand Canadian trade in emerging markets.

1 June 2015 — Implementation of the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA)

ESTMA, administered by Natural Resources Canada, was Canada’s way of fulfilling the commitment it made at the G8 Summit in 2013 to raise transparency standards around oil, mining, and gas projects. Its mandatory disclosure regime requires Canadian-listed and sufficiently connected extractive companies to publish annual, project-level reports of specified payments made to governments in Canada and abroad. ESTMA helped establish an international standard for project-level reporting. Whereas EITI operates through participating resource-producing countries and includes government reporting and reconciliation, ESTMA follows Canadian companies across all jurisdictions in which they operate, including countries outside EITI.

1931 — Centralization of Immigration Control

Immigration policy became increasingly restrictive and centralized under federal control between 1931 and 1945. Although the 1910 Immigration Act established the legal foundation for greater government control, the creation of the Department of Immigration and Colonization in 1917 (DIC), which replaced the Immigration Branch of the Department of the Interior established (1892-1917), strengthened the state’s ability to regulate admission and exclusion. This shift was demonstrated through restrictive Orders-in-Council, including a 1923 order that created preferred and non-preferred immigrant categories and a 1931 order under Prime Minister R.B. Bennett that introduced the strictest immigration admissions policy in history. The DIC administered measures that limited entry during the Depression to financially secure American and British immigrants, wealthy farmers, and close relatives of residents. This exclusionary framework was reflected in the refusal to accept Jewish refugees aboard the MS St. Louis, a ship fleeing

15 February 1968 — Watkins Report Highlights Foreign Ownership

In 1967, the Pearson government appointed an eight-member task force of economists, chaired by Mel Watkins, to examine foreign ownership of Canadian industry. On this date, the final report (Foreign Ownership and the Structure of Canadian Industry) was tabled in the House. The Watkins Report documented extensive foreign-particularly American-control of Canadian industry and recommended a development corporation to expand Canadian ownership and an agency to coordinate policy toward multinational firms. It fuelled economic-nationalist debate and helped shape the policy trajectory leading to the Canada Development Corporation in 1971 and FIRA in 1973-74.

1 December 1994 — New White Paper on Defence for a Post-Cold War World

Defence Minister David Collenette tabled the Chrétien government’s post-Cold War defence policy. It replaced the ambitious 1987 vision-which had proposed 10-12 nuclear-powered submarines-with a smaller “multi-purpose, combat-capable” force and consideration of surplus British conventional submarines. By 1999, the Regular Force would fall to approximately 60,000, the Primary Reserve to 23,000, and civilian employment to 20,000. The policy’s central tension was expecting a substantially reduced force to defend Canada, cooperate in continental defence and remain available for NATO, UN and coalition operations worldwide.

16 January 1965 Canada Canada and USA sign the Auto Pact COLD WAR 1

PM Pearson and President Johnson signed the Canada-US Automotive Products Agreement (or Auto Pact) in Texas. It removed tariffs on most vehicles and original-equipment parts traded by qualifying manufacturers while requiring them to maintain Canadian production and value-added commitments. The pact integrated the two countries' automotive industries, allowing Canadian plants to specialize, expand exports, and support high-wage manufacturing employment.

18 November 1926 Imperial Conference Issues Balfour Declaration ORIGINS

The 1926 Imperial Conference produced the Balfour Declaration, which recognized the Dominions as autonomous communities "equal in status" to Britain. PM Mackenzie King and Justice Minister Ernest Lapointe represented Canada, supported by senior External Affairs adviser O.D. Skelton. For Canada, it legitimized a more independent foreign policy and the establishment of separate diplomatic representation abroad. It also laid the constitutional foundation for the Statute of Westminster in 1931.

20 March 1970 Canada becomes a founding member of the agency for cultural and technical cooperation (ACCT) COLD WAR

Representatives of 21 states and governments-including Canada-signed the Convention of Niamey (in Niger), creating the ACCT, the institutional predecessor of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). This pushed Ottawa beyond its usual British, American, and Commonwealth focus in part to counter an increasingly assertive Quebec which invoked the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine to claim an international role in areas of provincial jurisdiction. A year later Quebec joined as a "participating government".

July 21 1932 British Empire Economic Conference opens in Ottawa CRISIS

PM R.B. Bennett opened the British Empire Economic Conference in Ottawa (the first Imperial Conference held outside Britain), bringing together delegations from Britain, the Dominions, India and the colonies to address the Great Depression. The resulting Ottawa Agreements established reciprocal imperial preferences that favoured Empire goods over foreign imports and gave Canadian wheat and other primary products preferential access to British markets. The conference elevated Canada's diplomatic role and redirected trade within the Empire, but its discriminatory tariffs also reinforced the protectionist blocs fragmenting the global economy.

Febuary 27 2018 Announcment of Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals Unit MULTIPOLAR FRAGMENTATION

Finance Minister Bill Morneau's Budget 2018 deepened Canada's commitment to the United Nation's Sustainable Develpoment Goals (SDGs) with the creation of an SDG unit within Employment and Social Development Canada. The budget proposed $49.4 million over 13 years, beginning in 2018-19, to establish the SDG Unit and finance Statistics Canada's monitoring and reporting activities of Canada's progress against the 17 SDGs.

2 November 2022 Canada Orders Chinese investors to divest from critical mineral companies MULTIPOLAR FRAGMENTATION

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne ordered Sinomine, Chengze Lithium, and Zangge Mining to divest their investments in Power Metals, Lithium Chile and Ultra Lithium following

national-security reviews under the Investment Canada Act. The TSX-V listed companies controlled interests in lithium and other minerals considered important to battery, clean-technology and advanced-manufacturing supply chains. The unprecedented three divestiture orders signalled much tighter scrutiny of Chinese investment and Canada's determination to protect strategic critical-mineral assets and supply chains.

25 June 1950 Korean War begins as USSR boycotts UNSC

Following North Korea's invasion of the Republic of Korea, the UN Security Council authorized military assistance while the Soviet Union was boycotting the Council and unable to exercise its veto. PM St. Laurent committed Canadian naval, air-transport, and ground forces to the US-led UN Command on August 7th, one of sixteen countries providing combat forces. At Kapyong on 24-25 April 1951, the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry helped stop a major Chinese breakthrough toward Seoul, becoming Canada's best-known contribution to the war that ended with the 1953 armistice. By then, nearly 27,000 Canadian service personnel had participated, with over 500 fatalities.