Canada, The Commonwealth, and the United States

Abstract

twenty-second annual study conference of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs was held at the University of Toronto on June 4 and 5. A common agenda under the general theme Canada, the Commonwealth and the United was discussed by three round tables. The main divisions in the agenda were (1) the Commonwealth Canada's relations with the United Kingdom, with the Dominions; (2) the United States economic relations, political relations; (3) the mutual interests security, stability.1 Discussion in general was dominated by the conviction that the distribution of weight and power in the North Atlantic triangle has shifted radically in the past fifteen years and that a situation of serious imbalance has resulted, posing serious if not entirely novel problems for Canadian policy. The relative importance of Britain in the pattern has diminished with the loss of her position of world leadership, the decline of her market as a factor in Canada's export trade and the weakening of the old imperial ties of sentiment and tradition. On the other hand the United States has gained steadily in stature in all respects. Canada's perennial problem of trying to maintain a balance between her historic partners has, therefore, taken on a new urgency and there was a general feeling in the conference that the preponderant weight of the United States in Canadian affairs might be offset by Canadian efforts to make more of the connection with her transatlantic partner. This utilitarian approach to the Commonwealth connection from the point of view of Canadian national interests turned up more difficulties than constructive proposals. Much attention was given to developing the role of the Crown and extending its Commonwealth functions in order to make it more positive rather than purely symbolic and sentimental; consideration was given to developing Canada's economic relationships with the United Kingdom