Canada's Relations with Russia thawed and then refroze in response to an increasingly aggressive Russian foreign and military policy led by Vladimir Putin.
It is doubtful that Canada will change its policies toward Russia unless it sees signs of adoption of democratic liberal norms which is unlikely.
The Canadian public deeply dislikes and distrusts the Putin Regime.
Vladimir Putin's ideology, often termed "Putinism",is an authoritarian and right-wing political framework built on aggressive Russian nationalism, intense anti-Westernism, and cultural conservatism. It combines imperial nostalgia with a vision of Russia as an independent civilization-state destined to oppose liberal democracy.
Core Pillars:
Imperial Statism: The belief in a strong, centralized state is supreme. It draws deeply on Czarist and Soviet traditions, prioritizing national security, territorial expansion, and the state's geopolitical interests over individual liberties.
Anti-Westernism: Western liberalism is viewed as the primary threat. Kremlin ideology posits that the West seeks to undermine Russia's sovereignty, impose alien values, and encircle the country with hostile alliances.
Cultural Conservatism: The regime actively positions itself as a global defender of "traditional values". This encompasses state-backed support for the Russian Orthodox Church, rigid definitions of traditional family structures, and a rejection of progressive gender and societal norms
Civilization-State: Russia is portrayed not just as a nation, but as a unique, independent civilization that includes Russian-speaking populations and territories far beyond its current borders.
The delusional quality of Russian leadership and political culture creates unsustainable international overreach which threatens all its neighbours including Canada while progressively misallocating its material wealth and human capital. It's economy is extremely militarized and its population is declining. It has a GDP roughly the size of Canada. To quote a Salvadorian expression, "they talk chicken and burp beans".
The Russian economy is beginning to crack under the weight of its disasterous war against Ukraine. It's probable arc will be to end the war with Ukraine either because of domestic collapse or through negotiation under duress. In the longer term it can be expected to pursue what it considers its national destiny thus becomning a threat once again to Europe and to Canada.
Lurking in the background is the steady decline of Russia in the Far East vs a vis China. The Russian Empire is in a two hundred year decline.
