International security

How Canada's Election Affects U.S. National Security

Canada's newly elected prime minister appears poised to re-examine the country's role in international affairs, ushering in a shift in policies that could conflict with what the U.S. has grown to expect from its partner in the war against Islamic extremism.

The young, idealistic and largely untested Justin Trudeau successfully rallied public support against Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper and his government, which over 10 years in power expanded its fight against extremism abroad and at home. Canadians had begun to question policies that were designed to give the government greater powers to root extremists out of its Muslim citizenry and which frequently over the last decade placed the country in lockstep with the war footing of its southern neighbor.