Foreign Policy Retro: Why Canada should quit its military alliance with the United States

by John W. Harnock

Perhaps as much as any other factor, the decision for integrated defence in North America has facilitated the Americanization of Canada.

It has undermined efforts to create a separate Canadian culture and system of communications. The expanding alliance with the United States has spurred the American take-over of the Canadian economy by promoting the integration of the Canadian arms production industry into that of the United States...

Our leaders fail

The new policy reveals that our political and military leaders have ceased to have any concept of an independent national interest for Canada.

A defence policy is by definition supposed to protect the nation state from war, occupation, or absorption by a foreign power. For Canada, there have only been two possible military enemies: The Soviet Union [now Russia[ and the United States. Historically, only the United States has attacked Canada, and today the only threat to Canadian sovereignty comes from the United States...

Far reaching

The NORAD Agreement is far reaching. The two countries agreed on the "necessity for integration of operational control of Canadian and United States air defences..." The system provides for "authoritative control of all air defence weapons which must be deployed against an attacker."

The purpose of the Agreement is to have ready in peacetime a system which would operate according to a prearranged air defence plan. The NORAD headquarters is in the United States. The preponderant majority of offers assigned are also American.

U.S. dictation

The commander at NORAD headquarters is always an American, owing his first responsibility to the President of the United States. This U.S.-dominated system has the authority to control all forced assigned to the NORAD defence system, including the transfer of forces from one area to another and the crossing of the U.S.-Canada boundry.

Comment George F. G. Stanley of the Royal Miliary College of Canada, "Canada has come a long way since the days prior to 1914 when Sir Wilfrid Laurier refused to become involved in a military understanding with Great Britain lest it deprive the Canadian people of their freedom of action in international affairs."

Today the Canadian government accepts a far greater dictation of defence policy drom Washington than it was ever willing to accept from London

...This [NORAD] is strategic nonsense.

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RETRO features still very relevant Toronto Star articles and commentary published in the late 1960's and into the early 1990's, before that former great Canadian newspaper became apparently owned by interests associated with the crypto-fascist U.S. political-military-industrial complex.

About the author:

John W. Harnock, a former U.S. foreign service official who became a Canadian citizen, taught political science at the University of Saskatchewan since 1963. His book had been featured to be published by M. G. Hurtig Ltd., in Edmonton.

This Toronto Star Insight Section article was originally published in September 6, 1969.

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