Reimagining Canada in Times of Trump: Towards a New “National Policy”?

Canada experiences its very own “Zeitenwende”. Former German chancellor Scholz coined this term in a speech held in parliament immediately after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The notion of “Zeitenwende” captures the end of an epoch, and the “Trump 2.0 Shock” shows that this applies to Canada as well. As prime minister Mark Carney made clear on several occasions: the old relationship with the United States is over. But what does this mean for a “new” Canada in a turbulent and dramatically changing geopolitical context? The Liberal Party’s platform “Canada Strong” evokes the idea of several “nation-building” projects, but – as a campaign platform – remains vague. Others have repeatedly called for establishing a new “Royal Commission” which could, similar to the Rowell–Sirois Commission (1937-1940) or the Macdonald Commission (1982-1984) develop a roadmap for the long-term.

In the past, Canada had at least three so-called “national policies”, that means relatively coherent, encompassing and largely consensual frameworks that offered guidance to federal and provincial governments over decades, and independent of the political party in power. This talk starts from the assumption that we are in dire need of a new “national policy” that outlines how Canada can redefine itself in the decades to come.

Such a new framework must address two challenges: First, it needs to develop recommendations on how key policy areas such as trade, industrial, energy or infrastructure policy can be realigned in a way that they reflect the three key imperatives of our times: decarbonization, economic sovereignty and national security. Second, considering our regionalized political economy and decentralized federalism, it needs to make recommendations on how Canada’s political architecture can be made fit for 21st century governance challenges. This includes a framework that facilitates more effective and legitimate intergovernmental cooperation between Ottawa and the provinces, and that also acknowledges the importance of municipalities and Indigenous peoples. In short: A framework that makes “Team Canada” durable.