Canada-US relations Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Energy and environmental diplomacy factors were a major, though often unrecognized, part of Canada-United States relations prior to the Cold War. Hydroelectricity was the most important of these factors, particularly power exported from... more

Energy and environmental diplomacy factors were a major, though often unrecognized, part of Canada-United States relations prior to the Cold War. Hydroelectricity was the most important of these factors, particularly power exported from the Canadian side of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin. The history of Canada- U.S. hydroelectricity relations, exports, and regulations offered here covers the key steps, institutions, and actors in the evolution of hydroelectricity geopolitics and governance regimes during the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. Most of the earliest large Canadian hydropower projects were built on or planned for border waters, which, after the creation of the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty, required formal coordination with the United States. Over the following half-century, prospective power projects on border waters continued to dominate the diplomatic dialogue. Federal governments or agencies established broad export restrictions, altering them occasionally, but often subnational governments, special interests, and specific power projects played as large a role in shaping the power trade. The result was a constantly shifting political and regulatory context, albeit one that generally trended toward cooperation and reduced barriers to electricity integration.

U.S. Army enlistment records do not merely document military service; they can shed light on otherwise obscure aspects of American immigration history. This is especially true in regard to the Canadian-born men who joined the forces of... more

U.S. Army enlistment records do not merely document military service; they can shed light on otherwise obscure aspects of American immigration history. This is especially true in regard to the Canadian-born men who joined the forces of the Republic during the Mexican War (1846-1848). Newly retrieved data indicates that approximately 1,500 individuals from British North America enlisted—a fairly widespread survival strategy at a time when people from the Canadas and the Atlantic colonies were increasingly seeking opportunities abroad. Enlistment records tell us something of the economic backgrounds of prospective soldiers and the ways in which the creation of a national market in the United States drew British subjects south of the border. Thus they provide a valuable glimpse into an oft-overlooked aspect of Canadian and North American history prior to 1849.

The construction of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line in the mid-1950s represents the most dramatic example of military modernization in the Canadian Arctic. To ensure that a range of federal government stakeholders were informed about... more

The construction of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line in the mid-1950s represents the most dramatic example of military modernization in the Canadian Arctic. To ensure that a range of federal government stakeholders were informed about and engaged in this megaproject, the DEW Line Co-ordinating Committee was established in February 1955 and ran until 1963. The meeting minutes and the regular progress reports provided to the committee offer valuable insights into the logistical and administrative machinery behind the “great assault” on the Canadian Arctic and its transformative effects on the human population in the region.

THIS IS YOUR CUE: TIME TO TAKE ACTION Call upon the community or general public, parents and youths, mental health professionals, physicians and nurses, educators, Facebook and other internet social media, religious groups, athletes,... more

THIS IS YOUR CUE: TIME TO TAKE ACTION
Call upon the community or general public, parents and youths, mental health professionals, physicians and nurses, educators, Facebook and other internet social media, religious groups, athletes, celebrities, secular and SBNR, school administrators, news media, Hollywood, academia, scientists, employers and employees, business owners and managers, private individuals and public officials, to join their talents, opportunities, and influence to support student mental health and end school shootings. Sharing this article is one way you can help https://www.academia.edu/35809557

Uncertainty about the future strategic environment is a rational impetus for cooperation. Despite a joint reiteration, by the US and Canada, of cooperation’s importance in managing and responding to future threats, interrogations about... more

Uncertainty about the future strategic environment is a rational impetus for cooperation. Despite a joint reiteration, by the US and Canada, of cooperation’s importance in managing and responding to future threats, interrogations about NORAD’s potential for future contributions in the North American defense landscape are relevant as it marks six decades of operation in 2018. Is NORAD, in its present configuration, sufficient for managing future threats to North America as well as strategic defense? Should NORAD be adapted to meet expected defense challenges? Or, alternatively, should it be replaced with a different structure; and at what risks? This chapter examines those questions through a discussion the importance of cooperation for uncertainty management, the challenges to cooperation as well as the role and limits of NORAD. It continues with a presentation of the possibilities for adapting the command arrangement relative to replacement employing arguments drawn from rational institutionalism. Finally, an exploration of the centrality of NORAD for North American defense cooperation and strategic defense is provided based on a comparison of the risks of adaptation versus replacement. Should the partners decide to participate in strategic defense, a pragmatic adaptation of the NORAD command arrangement is recommended through a use of the institutional provisions denoting flexibility. The chances for a successful mandate adaptation of the existing command are increased if stakeholders manage information transparently and effectively to minimize the risks of politicization.

Eric Wittkower founded McGill University’s transcultural psychiatry unit in 1955. One year later, he started the first international newsletter in this academic field, which became (and remains) the main journal today: Transcultural... more

Eric Wittkower founded McGill University’s transcultural psychiatry unit in 1955. One year later, he started the first international newsletter in this academic field, which became (and remains) the main journal today: Transcultural Psychiatry. However, at the beginning of his career Wittkower gave no signs that he would be interested in social sciences and psychiatry; he originally trained as a specialist in internal medicine in Berlin. This paper describes the historical context of the post-war period, when Wittkower founded a research unit at McGill University with an American anthropologist, Jacob Fried. Using archival material from McGill, I focus on the history of scientific networks and the circulation of knowledge, particularly on the exchanges between the French- and English-speaking academic cultures in North America and Europe. Because the history of transcultural psychiatry is a transnational history par excellence, but also a literature of exile, this leads necessarily to the important question of the reception of this academic field abroad.

Canada and the United States share one of the most complex, interdependent, and asymmetrical relationships in the Western world. This article explores to what extent anti-Americanism constitutes an aspect of Canadian national identity.... more

Canada and the United States share one of the most complex, interdependent, and asymmetrical relationships in the Western world. This article explores to what extent anti-Americanism constitutes an aspect of Canadian national identity. This article argues that there are strong, even at times legitimate, reasons why forms of low-grade, relatively benign, anti-Americanism continue to resonate in Canadian public life. This article focuses on the presidency of George W. Bush as the recent high water mark of anti-Americanism, and is divided into three parts. The first critically engages with definitions of anti-Americanism, employing a typology used by Katzenstein and Keohane (2007). The second part presents an overview of some empirical and interpretive research on Canadian anti-Americanism. Recent manifestations of the phenomenon have been closely tied to anti-Bush sentiments and a fear of ‘deeper integration’ with the US. The third part interrogates whether anti-Americanism is in part fuelled by American attitudes and actions, and concludes that these have played an important role.

This issue of Reconstruction offers little in the way of fixing problems, but plenty in the way of critiquing attempts to automate war, media, opinion, democracy, culture and life to produce predictable outcomes -- all attempts to... more

This issue of Reconstruction offers little in the way of fixing problems, but plenty in the way of critiquing attempts to automate war, media, opinion, democracy, culture and life to produce predictable outcomes -- all attempts to dominate the world. Postmodernism trumpeted the death of "grand narratives," but now we are quickly finding out that they have come back as ghosts, this time hard to see, harder to believe in, difficult to capture, and, perhaps, impossible to kill. Yet, we are called to do the impossible, to pick up our pens and pencils or pots and pans and make the world a better place.

This bilingual article explores the possibilities of post-bilingual “Canadian” memory and identity through the literary and cultural history of Canada’s largest extraterritorial diasporic community: the French-Canadians of New England. In... more

This bilingual article explores the possibilities of post-bilingual “Canadian” memory and identity through the literary and cultural history of Canada’s largest extraterritorial diasporic community: the French-Canadians of New England. In examining textual sources through which New England French-Canadians have imagined their affinities and differences in relation to other ethnic groups and nationalities, from the mid-19th century up to the present day (e.g., Tremblay, Beaugrand, Kerouac, Plante, Proulx), an alternative model for the 21st century emerges: a politics of alterity in which an increasingly fragile “microethnic” memory continues to be rearticulated across linguistic and national borders to serve as a parallel narrative to metropolitan discourses of identity, exceptionalism and survivance.

The aim of the paper is to stress the importance of transnational law in the applicability of various rules of international law to cross-border transactions, in order to disclose a coherent language of law. The paper will analyse and... more

The aim of the paper is to stress the importance of transnational law in the applicability of various rules of international law to cross-border transactions, in order to disclose a coherent language of law. The paper will analyse and comment the Tribunal’s considerations with regard to the U.S. Claimant’s suffering of “economic harm to its investment through interference with its operations, lost contracts and opportunities in Canada”.

This overview presents one of the episodes of the Yakima war (1855-1856). During this Indian war, the American side was struggling not only with their own Indians but also with indigenous people from the British Canada. Minor presence... more

This overview presents one of the episodes of the Yakima war (1855-1856). During this Indian war, the American side was struggling not only with their own Indians but also with indigenous people from the British Canada. Minor presence of the English side in this conflict was at that time represented by two steam ships from the Hudson’s Bay Company - 'Beaver' and 'Otter'.
.

Trade conflict is on the rise worldwide. Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has been ramping up rhetoric of protectionism followed up by tariff hikes against rival as well as allied states. These measures have not only... more

Trade conflict is on the rise worldwide. Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has been ramping up rhetoric of protectionism followed up by tariff hikes against rival as well as allied states. These measures have not only prompted retaliatory tariffs from trading partners, but also led to grassroot actions in the target countries, as consumers strike back with small acts of resistance. Why do some consumers take it upon themselves in a trade dispute, even if doing so means changing their habitual behaviors and paying higher prices? Under what conditions are consumers more likely to boycott foreign goods and services? This study aims to answer these questions by implementing a survey experiment in Canada. We find that Canadian consumers are more likely to boycott American goods (1) when their counterparts in the rival state are boycotting; (2) when many of their fellow citizens are boycotting; and (3) when they receive a boycotting cue from their government. These findings contribute to our understanding of the micro-foundations of the political economy of trade conflict between nations.

Should New Brunswick and Nova Scotia consider emission trading systems linked with Quebec, California and Ontario under the auspices of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI)? The Government of New Brunswick is currently considering various... more

Should New Brunswick and Nova Scotia consider emission trading systems linked with Quebec, California and Ontario under the auspices of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI)? The Government of New Brunswick is currently considering various climate mitigation options to comply with the federal carbon pricing benchmark outlined in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. In late 2016, Nova Scotia announced it would establish its own cap-and-trade system though not linked with any other jurisdiction. In this paper, we consider the prospect of climate finance flowing into NB & NS in order to reduce emissions in these two Maritime provinces through the establishment of cap-and-trade systems that are linked to the WCI. Emissions trading under the WCI could see Quebec and Ontario firms buy emission allowances from their counterparts in NB & NS.

The Canadian government has a policy of searching laptop computers at airports and other border crossings. It is considered an outrageous policy by those who have been subjected to this gross invasion of privacy, and it has drawn some... more

The Canadian government has a policy of searching laptop computers at airports and other border crossings. It is considered an outrageous policy by those who have been subjected to this gross invasion of privacy, and it has drawn some press attention. The Canadian courts have yet to rule on the constitutionality of this policy. The present article reports on one person's experience (the author's) and makes a conservative estimate of the cost of this policy to the Canadian people, both monetary and nonmonetary. The conclusion is that the cost of searching laptop computers is high while the benefits of doing so are low or nonexistent.

This analysis examines the disharmony in American–Canadian relations in the period from 2001 to 2005. Canada and the United States co-operated in the early days after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington,... more

This analysis examines the disharmony in American–Canadian relations in the period from 2001 to 2005. Canada and the United States co-operated in the early days after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, managing their mutual border and fighting the war in Afghanistan. Yet they soon came into conflict over American plans to invade Iraq and create a ballistic missile defence (BMD) system for North America. President George W. Bush and Paul Cellucci, his ambassador in Ottawa, were insensitive to Canadian concerns. Canadian leaders sent mixed messages to Washington, hinting that they would support a war in Iraq and participate in the BMD system, but ultimately deciding against each. The article examines the limitations of the tolerant ally interpretation of the Canadian–American relationship and illuminates the role of leadership in the rupture that took place between the two countries.

This article analyzes the rescaling of transboundary water governance and explores challenges and opportunities for the twenty-first century. The analysis is grounded in the example of the Canada–United States transboundary water... more

This article analyzes the rescaling of transboundary water governance and explores challenges and opportunities for the twenty-first century. The analysis is grounded in the example of the Canada–United States transboundary water governance regime, and asks two questions: What are the lessons learned since Canada and the United States first signed the Boundary Waters Treaty 100 years ago? And what is the potential of rescaling to influence the tension between the ‘sovereign rights’ of a nation and transboundary water governance protocols based on ‘good neighbourliness’?

Numerous scholars argue that the rules, mechanisms, and bodies established under NAFTA's Chapter 11 for the settlement of foreign direct investment disputes have undermined the policy-making capabilities of governments in the U.S.,... more

Numerous scholars argue that the rules, mechanisms, and bodies established under NAFTA's Chapter 11 for the settlement of foreign direct investment disputes have undermined the policy-making capabilities of governments in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada for promoting public welfare in their countries. This article argues that Chapter 11 has instead contributed to reaffirming governments' power to enact and uphold social-oriented domestic laws. It demonstrates that Chapter 11's dispute settlement mechanisms were created and operate according to the interests of the national governments in facilitating and increasing the flows of trade and investment capital between their countries without compromising their sovereignty and policy-making powers.

Policymakers are, as a rule, more concerned with people crossing into their jurisdiction than with those who leave. Historians easily fall into the same pattern in their respective areas of study, but scholars focused on the history of... more

Policymakers are, as a rule, more concerned with people crossing into their jurisdiction than with those who leave. Historians easily fall into the same pattern in their respective areas of study, but scholars focused on the history of Quebec have ample reason to study the hundreds of thousands of French Canadians who left the province (or Lower Canada) in the century after the 1830s. These emigrants did not merely alter the political, demographic, and cultural character of Quebec; their large-scale settlement across northern New York and New England suggests, in some ways, Quebec itself expanded and lived under a different name beyond its actual boundaries. By studying this diaspora, scholars stand to enrich an histoire nationale and articulate a more nuanced understanding of borders.

Under a 1950 U.S.-Canada treaty the majority of the Niagara River is diverted to massive hydroelectric complexes. To hide the aesthetic impact of turning Niagara Falls into an energy waterscape, and retain tourism , the waterfall was... more

Under a 1950 U.S.-Canada treaty the majority of the Niagara River is diverted to massive hydroelectric complexes. To hide the aesthetic impact of turning Niagara Falls into an energy waterscape, and retain tourism , the waterfall was physically reshaped and shrunk, and remedial works were built to control water flows and hydropower diversions. To achieve this, hydraulic engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and On-tario Hydro relied on hydraulic models of Niagara Falls. Using an envirotech approach, I show how these physical hydraulic models were an integral part of the disguised design approach to remaking Niagara Falls, and I use this Niagara case study to critically explore the evolution of hydraulic modeling in early Cold War North America. The river and waterfall were transformed into a hybrid envirotechnical system, a submerged infrastructure that relied not only on steel and concrete, but also water, ice, and weeds.

Proceedings of the 41st Annual Canada-US Law Institute Conference.

Drawing on the fragmentary chain of letters between George Woodcock and Herbert Read, this article uses these materials as a point of departure to consider the development of Woodcock’s cultural politics. Focusing on the memories he... more

Drawing on the fragmentary chain of letters between George Woodcock and Herbert Read, this article uses these materials as a point of departure to consider the development of Woodcock’s cultural politics. Focusing on the memories he explored in his autobiographical writing, his histories of anarchism and Canada, and his project to live off the land, it examines the ways in which Woodcock looked to anarchism’s past to theorise afresh its future.

La question de recherche de cet article est très simple : lorsque des enjeux qui divisent les Américains surviennent dans les forums internationaux, le Canada vote-t-il plus souvent du côté des États-Unis ou de celui de ses partenaires... more

La question de recherche de cet article est très simple : lorsque des enjeux qui divisent les Américains surviennent dans les forums internationaux, le Canada vote-t-il plus souvent du côté des États-Unis ou de celui de ses partenaires transatlantiques ? Est-ce que la forte dépendance économique et militaire du Canada face aux États-Unis limite la marge de manœuvre de ce dernier dans
les organismes multilatéraux? Les enjeux sélectionnés pour cette étude sont les suivants : l’embargo cubain; le confl it israélo-palestinien; les mines antipersonnel ; la peine de mort ; la convention sur la diversité culturelle; la Cour pénale internationale et les changements climatiques. La conclusion de cette étude est que le Canada penche beaucoup plus naturellement du côté de ses alliés transatlantiques membres du G8 que de celui des États-Unis.

This paper offers a conceptual analysis of the negotiation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. It argues that traditional accounts of the structure of trade negotiations must be... more

This paper offers a conceptual analysis of the negotiation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. It argues that traditional accounts of the structure of trade negotiations must be tailored for their novel nature, especially their wider scope on various regulatory issues and the relative economic weight symmetry of trading partners. To build our argument, we revisit traditional structural factors such as economic interdependence, non-agreement alternatives (NAA), institutional constraints, outcome valuations, and domestic support. We conclude that current and future bilateral trade negotiations will likely last longer, deadlocks will likely become more frequent, and that variations in scope will likely increase.

Sat down for an interview with Brendan McShane of Canada's History magazine, right before the 2020 Presidential election, to discuss the situation and provide some historical context to the relationship between Canadian and American... more

Sat down for an interview with Brendan McShane of Canada's History magazine, right before the 2020 Presidential election, to discuss the situation and provide some historical context to the relationship between Canadian and American leaders.

"In recent decades, Quebec scholars have paid special attention to the américanité of French Canadians—the extent to which they have been culturally, economically, and politically American, whether they be on Canadian soil or in the... more

"In recent decades, Quebec scholars have paid special attention to the américanité of French Canadians—the extent to which they have been culturally, economically, and politically American, whether they be on Canadian soil or in the United States. This conceptual lens has proven its worth not merely in studies of recent Quebec history. When projected over nearly two and a half centuries of North American history, it reveals a fascination with (and ambivalent response to) American political ideals. In time, the lure of republicanism would yield to cultural and economic concerns, but, in the 1830s, reformers and radicals in Lower Canada could envision a day when they too would break free from colonial bondage and more fully realize democratic ideals. [...]"

This article looks at the bilateral U.S.-Canada remaking of the St. Lawrence River and Niagara River/Falls during the twentieth century for hydropower and navigation. Utilizing a range of archival records from various governments and... more

This article looks at the bilateral U.S.-Canada remaking of the St. Lawrence River and Niagara River/Falls during the twentieth century for hydropower and navigation. Utilizing a range of archival records from various governments and organizations, and an envirotech approach, I focus on the role of estimation for controlling water and ice formation on these iconic waterways. The engineers employed an iterative 'cut and try' approach which relied upon considerable place based knowledge of the local Niagara and St. Lawrence environments, which was then used to generate synoptic models that served as the basis for remaking those very environments. But the gap between local and abstract expertise often resulted in uncertainty. To deal with cases where they had only approximate knowledge, engineers and bureaucrats used the qualifying phrase 'as nearly as may be'. Not only did this allow them to proceed in the face of uncertainty, but it required experts to incorporate flexibility into their plans.

A physician by training, Prosper Bender (1844-1917) achieved prominence through his written work on French Canadians. In the 1870s, he joined the flourishing literary scene of Quebec City, a period that culminated with his Literary... more

A physician by training, Prosper Bender (1844-1917) achieved prominence through his written work on French Canadians. In the 1870s, he joined the flourishing literary scene of Quebec City, a period that culminated with his Literary Sheaves (1881) and Old and New Canada (1882). Then, for more than a quarter-century, Bender lived in Boston, where he practiced homeopathic medicine and again played the part of an intercultural broker. Doubts concerning his native land's future led him to promote the American annexation of Canada; he also wrote for American readers articles on French-Canadian culture. More than a century later, Bender's body of work reflects the challenges facing post-Confederation Canada and the struggle for mutual understanding between French Canadians and their English-speaking neighbours.