Braver Canada
Shaping Our Destiny in a Precarious World
A broadscale study of the many challenges Canada faces internationally in its global economic, political, and security engagements, with recommendations for future prosperity.
Description
The world is changing - geopolitically and economically - at an alarmingly fast pace. Populism, protectionism, and authoritarianism are on the rise. Braver Canada analyzes these and many other global shifts, offering provocative prescriptions for both the public and the private sectors. Reviewing the foreign policy challenges, achievements, and missteps of the Justin Trudeau government, Derek Burney and Fen Hampson argue that the country's leadership must craft a new approach to global affairs based on a solid grasp of current and emerging global political and economic realities. They focus on competitiveness, trade, energy, environment, and immigration and refugee issues, also discussing a recalibration of relations with China and India. Expanding on the ideas and policy recommendations in their previous book, Brave New Canada, which called for Canada to diversify its economic ties outside the United States, they note how the global and regional environment has shifted dramatically in recent years. A timely and compelling analysis, Braver Canada lays out the challenges for Canada in a rapidly changing, turbulent world and the strategies required for future prosperity.
Reviews
"In a multi-polar, America-First, law-of-the-jungle, global order, the new reality is that nobody is going to carry Canada. We need our own survival guide and Braver Canada lays the foundation, combining economic imperatives with a new smart internationalism. For anyone who wants Canada to prosper in a protectionist, populist and precarious world, this book is essential reading." Tiff Macklem, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
"Urgent and unapologetic, Burney and Hampson shake up assumptions about Canada’s continuing prosperity in a volatile global context. Using contemporary examples to explore issues ranging from mass migration to trade negotiations, military spending to energy development, the authors don’t pull any punches - especially when it comes to the risks posed by a disinterested, disloyal and dangerous American neighbour. They offer pragmatic and sensible solutions for prioritizing Canadian success at home and abroad and recommend working more selectively with the world’s major democracies on shared interests for the future. A must read for foreign policy experts, armchair quarterbacks, and concerned citizens alike." Meredith Lilly, Simon Reisman Chair in International Affairs, Carleton University
"Derek Burney and Fen Hampson are the most respected foreign policy minds in the country. In Braver Canada, they answer the questions keeping business leaders up at night: What the hell is going on in the world and how can we overcome the chaos? With characteristic candour and clarity, they chart a comprehensive course for us to take if we want to protect our national interests." Goldy Hyder, President and Chief Financial Officer, The Business Council of Canada
"With Braver Canada, Derek Burney and Fen Osler Hampson describe a blustery, unpredictable world that we as a country are hardly in a position to influence and should approach with circumspection. This thesis rests on their assumption, shared by many, that the liberal international order is teetering. We are in "a more turbulent world where benign US leadership is no longer a given and where protectionism, populism, and authoritarianism are on the rise," they write. "Canada is going to have to look out for its own interests and vigorously promote them bilaterally and globally but with the knowledge and public awareness that the road will be rocky." Literary Review of Canada