Canada has marketed itself for many years as a peacekeeping nation and benevolent international actor. But this appearance is only plausible if one’s point of comparison lies directly south of the border.

The Canadian state has long had a privileged relationship with the United States and Britain — the two leading empires of the last two centuries. In reality, its appearance as a tenderhearted broker in international affairs is a public relations sleight of hand. Ottawa has deployed its relatively sophisticated military in action far more often than most people recognize.

Canada is now preparing to equip its Navy with new frigates at an estimated cost of $70 billion ($100 billion over their life cycle). As part of the largest single outlay of public money in Canadian history, the fifteen vessels will be kitted out with a mixture of offensive and defensive weapons, “in a mix never seen before in any surface combatant.” Thus far, this expenditure has not elicited any parliamentary opposition.