[LINK] "Is “declaration of war” an antiquated expression?"

[rfmcdonald]

Steve Fortin's article, taken from the 6 February 2008 issue of The Maple Leaf, is interesting. For different values of interesting, perhaps.

In Canada, it is generally conceded that the act of “declaring war” is a royal prerogative exercised by the Governor General, although the approval of the Canadian parliament is necessary so that democratic principles are respected. However, the very notion of a “declaration of war” may seem antiquated and has been invoked only very rarely in Canada since 1867.

In fact, the only Canadian declaration of war dates back to the Second World War. “In 1939 Britain declared war on September 3, but Canada waited, to emphasize its autonomy. Parliamentary debate (September 9) preceded the order in council declaring war (September 10). A similar procedure was followed when Canada declared war on Italy in 1940. The point is that only an order in council made the declaration of war formal. This was brought into stark relief in 1942 when war was declared on Japan, Romania, Hungary and Finland by simple proclamation, and no parliamentary debate or approval of an Address,” wrote Professor Christopher Dunn of Memorial University in a 2007 Canadian Parliamentary Review.

[. . .]

After the Second World War, the UN Organization, which grew out of the League of Nations, was established. The organization is mandated, on behalf of all member states, to ensure and maintain global peace and security. Canadian participation in conflicts after the Second World War has been through UN, and later NATO, resolutions, thereby excluding recourse to a “declaration of war” against a state, as the military intervention, whether led by an interposition or a peacekeeping force, had the assent of a supranational body. Kim Richard Nossal, Stéphane Roussel and Stéphane Paquin, writers for Politique internationale et défense au Canada et au Quebec, have clarified the issue, pointing out that all the peacekeeping operations, like all the wars in which Canada has participated, have been conducted under a multilateral framework (the British Empire, ad hoc alliances in 1914-1918 and 1939-1945, the UN and NATO), and indicated that this is a fundamental contextual element, because it highlights the role played by the CF as an instrument of foreign policy.

Not having been invaded in over 200 years, not having known the horrors of war on its own soil and not having participated in colonial conquests and the occupation of foreign lands, Canada has never had to unilaterally declare war on another country.

Canadian military efforts, Fortin goes on to argue, have always taken place in the part of Canada taking part in military endeavours waged by multinational alliances or organizations aimed at enforcing current norms of international order, making the idea of a Canadian declaration of war pointless. (Compare Prime Minister Mackenzie King's belief in my previous post.)

Thoughts?