Northern Command, Ballistic Missile Defense, Homeland Security: QUELS CHOIX POUR LE CANADA ? / WHERE DOES CANADA FIT ?
Hôtel Delta Centre-Ville, 777 Av. University, Montréal (à l'angle de la rue St-Antoine), 26 mars 2004
Robert Wright, the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser will be our guest speaker at lunch. This conference addresses the impact on Canada of recent changes in defence institutions in the United States, notably the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and Northern Command and the implementation of the Ballistic Missile Defence Initiative. The establishment of purely American institutions – the Department of Homeland Security and Northern Command – as opposed to binational institutions, will have consequences not only on daily cooperation between Canadian and American agencies but also on the organization of homeland security in Canada and on the process of North American integration. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security could influence the way Canadians manage their own homeland security: faced with similar threats, they could be tempted to follow the same principles notably better coordination between federal and provincial agencies and private business. The creation of Northern Command can increase cooperation between Canadian and American land and naval forces: up to now, only the air forces of the two countries worked closely together. This would be a new stage in the integration of North American defence. NorthCom’s mandate also raises the question of Mexico’s place in the defence equation. At the same time, the implementation of the Ballistic Missile Defence initiative by the United States provides opportunities as well as challenges for Canada as it pushes the limits of defence integration.