Canada and Asia: Evolving Awareness and Deepening Links

Abstract

IN RECENT YEARS, Canadians, long accustomed to considering themselves as a North American society with roots in Europe and the Atlantic world, have revealed a growing interest in the histories, current problems and future aspirations of the heterogenous peoples of Asia. The Far has become the Near West, facilitating a fuller understanding of the peculiarities of Asian physical and political geography. The national vocabulary has been augmented by new terms like konfrontasi, Viet Cong and Mukti Bahini. The forest and mining industries of Western Canada have been stimulated by Japanese investment, and the national economy enrichened by sales of the products of forest, field and mine to the rapidly developing economies of South, Southeast and East Asia. The Vietnam conflict has been the subject of heated debate in parliament and the news media, at university rallies and public meetings, and Chairman Mao, Uncle Ho and Indira Gandhi have become as familiar to many Canadians as their local Member of Parliament. Canadians have acquired a new appreciation for the martial art of kendo, and have discovered a further dimension to ping pong. Some Canadians have shown an avid curiosity for exploring the mysteries of the new Middle Kingdom, and a reverse Chinese pilgrimage to a modest house in a small Ontario town has led to official Canadian discovery of another national historic site, the home of Dr. Norman Bethune. A new generation of Canadians has discovered Asia and must contend with the varied ramifications of this fact. In their understandable pre-occupation with current problems and future prospects, however, they must not be oblivious to the legacy of the past, to the lessons learned by previous generations of Canadians who, in their time, entertained not greatly dissimilar hopes and fears. The basic needs of Canada for people, for markets, for capital, for military security and for selfand national expression have existed from the very beginning of the European presence. The links between Canada and Asia long predate the formation of the Canadian nation itself and, though public awareness and genuine official sensitivity concerning the relationship are of recent origin, Asia has been impinging upon Canadian economic, political and social development for many decades. An