Is Canada finally standing up to China?

On Wednesday, Canada revealed its new Indo-Pacific strategy that specifically mentioned China’s human rights abuses, its threats against Taiwan and Hong Kong and increasing aggression in dealings with the west. The rhetoric was an about-face for the Trudeau government; earlier this year, there were reports Canada would not even mention the country’s name for fear of provoking retaliation.

Stephanie Carvin is a former national security analyst, an Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, and the author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing threats to Canada’s National Security. She joined us to discuss the new strategy and how it may impact diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries.

“I feel like we’ve been making these decisions in the absence of a larger strategy,” she said, “what is it that we want with China? What are the things we think we can achieve? How are we going to achieve [them]?”

Based on recent moves, it seems Canada has decided it is the time to push back against China. Why now? And how might China push back against Canadians?

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