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Derksen, Kai Alexander

University of British Columbia

The history of Canadian nuclear possession from 1950-1984 is a topic of growing importance. While considerable work exists on the topic, much of it is outdated and ultimately fails to consider some of the more pertinent questions that may help to reveal how and why Canada became nuclear capable. This study therefore aims to address these deficits in existing literature, analyzing the relationships that led to Canada becoming a nuclear custodial power and how this period came to shape current Canadian national security and nuclear policy. In addition to this it will take a deeper look at the US-Canadian relationship during this period, critically analyzing the power dynamics, both economic and political, that existed therewithin and contributed to events. To accomplish these tasks, this study relies heavily on diplomatics and discourse analysis of the pre-existing literature that exists on the topic of Canadian nuclear possession and the recently declassified body of primary documents within archives and databases. This study will be broken down into two main sections. The first will be a historical chronology that details the period of Canadian nuclear custody, and the second, a theoretical analysis that considers the how and why behind nuclear custody and the decision to ultimately abandon said custody. This study is part of a wider attempt to influence Canadian national security and nuclear policy, which since the Cold War has been largely dominated by American interests. It therefore argues that Canada must reevaluate its relationship to the US - politically, militarily, and economically. It is only once this is achieved that Canada can move beyond the outdated practices of the Cold War and truly begin working towards a nuclear-weapon-free future.

Text

2024-04-24

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87999

Interdisciplinary Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/