Silent Partners

Silent Partners
The Origins and Influence of Canada’s Military-Industrial Complex
Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2023

Edited by Alex Souchen and Matthew S. Wiseman

Canada is often seen as a peaceful country with a modest military and a small defence industrial base, but its military-industrial complex is deeply embedded in the fabric of the country. Silent Partners reveals its origins and influence.

During the Cold War, Canada’s military, industrial, and political partnerships developed in silent ways, behind the scenes and without much public scrutiny. Silent Partners explores this complicated history of leveraging military and defence expenditures to fund domestic industries, bolster employment, and support science and technology. Military and defence spending have affected Canada in myriad ways and in uneven patterns of prosperity and decline. The contributions in this volume explore the environmental impact of military activities and munitions production, the ethical issues of human experimentation and military testing, and the economic and political implications of procurement and arms exports.

Using a vast array of archival sources – some only recently declassified or discovered – Silent Partners is an illuminating examination of Canada’s military-industrial complex from a historical perspective. This book will appeal to military and Canadian historians, defence analysts, and political scientists interested in Canadian military affairs and defence procurement.

 

Reviews of Silent Partners

“Silent Partners provides fresh, original insights into new areas of Canadian defence history.”

– Roger Sarty, Department of History, Wilfrid Laurier University

 

“Souchen and Wiseman provide a historical perspective that has not been dealt with before. It is a valuable discussion of Canada’s military industrial experience within a wider war and society context.”

– Craig Stone, Department of Defence Studies, Canadian Forces College