Thomas Juneau, Philippe Lagassé, and Srdjan Vucetic, eds. Canadian Defence Policy in Theory and Practice
| Author | Brian Job |
| Date | 01 December 2020 |
| Published date | 01 December 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702020976618 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
this score and see an opportunity in the natural resources and extractive sector
space for Canada and African states to become closer (and better) partners. By
growing and developing a set of norms around corporate social responsibility, the
opportunity exists to craft a more meaningful (to all parties) set of engagements
that advance development aspirations. This will require explicit investment, both
politically and financially, on the part of Canada, which we have yet to see.
The challenges around establishing a common regime or normative approach to
corporate social responsibility, particularly as it relates to mining and other extrac-
tive activities, is well debated in the literature. But this book makes a valuable
contribution to both understanding the evolution of the debate, and critically
assessing whether the promises and actions have been realized. On this score,
progress has been mixed, and so much potential has yet to be realized—which
has been the case for so long. But what is clear is that if official Canada wishes to
improve relations with African states, greater attention will need to be paid to the
role and behaviour of the Canadian extractive sector in the Sub-Saharan African
region. Canadian foreign policy interests depend on it.
Thomas Juneau, Philippe Lagass
e, and Srdjan Vucetic, eds.
Canadian Defence Policy in Theory and Practice
Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, 430pp. $69.50 (cloth)
ISBN: 978-3-030-26402-4
Reviewed by: Brian Job (brian.job@ubc.ca), Department of Political Science, University of
British Columbia, Canada.
With the most recent overview volume of Canadian defence policy having been
published over two decades ago,
3
Juneau, Lagasse, and Vucetic take on the chal-
lenge of providing “an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of the main issues
defining and shaping Canada’s defence policy today” (p. 3). With its wide spectrum
of topics, presented by a diverse set of authors, including academics, retired and
serving military officers, and former and current defence officials, this volume
largely succeeds in meeting their ambitions.
Juneau, Lagasse, and Vucetic’s Canadian Defence Policy in Theory and Practice
satisfies two purposes, the first as a resource for students, researchers, and policy
wonks. Coverage provided by many of the volume’s twenty-three chapters is not to
be found elsewhere, including: Lightfoot’s (Chapter 13) on the historical experi-
ence of Indigenous people and the Canadian military; Leuprecht’s (Chapter 11) on
the demographics of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) recruitment and reten-
tion; Perry on defence budgeting (Chapter 5); Stone and Solomon’s (Chapter 9) on
the political economy of defence; Lane’s (Chapter 20) assessment of efforts to
3. David Dewitt and David Leighton-Brown, Canada’s International Security Policy (Scarborough,
Ontario: Prentice-Hall Canada, 1995).
Book Reviews 677
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