COMMENTARY

by David Carment & Richard Nimijean

The Hill Times
June 28, 2018

Is Canada back?

That is the question we ask in our most recent issue of the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal (CFPJ). Leading Canadian scholars examine the Liberal government’s branding of its foreign policy to steal votes from the opposition, target a new generation of social media-savvy voters, and scoop up those left marginalized by a decade of neglect under Conservative Stephen Harper.

Just like Harper’s similar claim a decade earlier, Justin Trudeau signalled that his government would operate according to politically defined Canadian values. Trudeau wanted less partisan politics, yet he portrayed Conservative voters as less than Canadian when he said that Canada was back, as The Globe and Mail editorialized in 2016. His government increasingly references Harper—and not Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer—to remind voters that his government’s values are distinct from his opponents.

Image credit: Andrew Meade

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