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Canadian imperialism stands back and watches coup unfold in Honduras

Marxist Theory · 2009-06-28

Core Argument

The article argues that Canada's refusal to condemn the 2009 Honduran coup or demand the return of President Manuel Zelaya was not an aberration or a product of Conservative Party policy alone, but a logical expression of Canadian imperialism. Canada's position — standing almost alone alongside the US in opposing Zelaya's reinstatement — is presented as the natural outcome of deepening Canadian economic interests in Latin America, particularly in mining and garment manufacturing. The central claim is that Canada has always been an imperialist power, but that the past decade has seen a hardening and overtness in its foreign policy, filling a vacuum left by a US imperialism bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Theoretical Grounding

The analysis is grounded in the Leninist theory of imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism, where the state acts as the political instrument of monopoly capital. The article explicitly rejects the liberal-nationalist myth of Canada as a peacekeeping nation, instead situating Canadian foreign policy within the competitive dynamics of inter-imperialist rivalry. It draws on the classical Marxist understanding that the state's foreign policy is not determined by the party in power — noting that Liberal governments engaged in the same interventionist behaviour in Venezuela — but by the structural imperatives of capital accumulation. The piece also deploys a rudimentary theory of combined and uneven development, showing how Canadian capital exploits cheap labour and resource extraction in Honduras while the Canadian state provides political cover.

Conjunctural Relevance

The article is written in the immediate aftermath of the 28 June 2009 coup, when the Obama administration was offering only "half-hearted" opposition while Canada was "emphatically" opposed to Zelaya's return. The conjuncture is defined by two key factors:

  • US overextension: Bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, US imperialism had less capacity for direct intervention in its traditional backyard, creating space for Canadian capital to advance its interests.
  • The Pink Tide: The article situates the coup within the broader reaction against left-wing governments in Latin America, specifically mentioning Chávez in Venezuela and Morales in Bolivia. The coup is understood as a counter-offensive by capital against the region's turn to the left.

Specific named forces include: - Canadian mining capital: Breakwater Resources, Goldcorp, Yamana Gold — all with operations threatened by Zelaya's moratorium on new mining concessions. - Gildan: The Montreal-based garment giant producing over half its t-shirts in Honduras, opposed to wage increases. - Peter Munk (Barrick Gold): Openly hostile to progressive Latin American governments. - Focal/CIDA: State-funded agencies channelling money to opposition groups in Venezuela. - Peter Kent: Canada's secretary of state for the Americas, the most vocal opponent of Zelaya's return within the OAS.

Where the Argument Continues

The article is a snapshot of a specific conjuncture. The argument about Canadian imperialism in Latin America is developed further in other IDOM articles covering:

  • Canada's role in the 2004 Venezuelan recall referendum and subsequent destabilisation efforts
  • The broader pattern of coups and imperialist intervention in Latin America, including Bolivia (2019) and Brazil (2016)
  • The mining wars across Central and South America, where Canadian companies face resistance from indigenous and workers' movements
  • The evolution of Canadian foreign policy under successive Liberal and Conservative governments

The piece also points forward to the strategic conclusion: that the best defence of revolutionary movements abroad is building revolutionary conditions at home — a position elaborated in the RCI's broader programme on internationalism and the united front.

Connections

  • Lenin, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism — The theoretical foundation for understanding the state-capital nexus in foreign policy.
  • Yves Engler — The journalist cited in the article; his book Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority and other works provide detailed empirical evidence of Canadian imperialist activity.
  • IDOM articles on Venezuela — Particularly those covering the 2004 recall referendum and the role of the Canadian embassy.
  • Against the Stream episodes — The RCI's podcast has covered Canadian imperialism in Latin America, including interviews with activists and analysts.
  • The Marxist theory of the state — The article implicitly relies on the understanding that the state is not a neutral arbiter but an instrument of class rule, which is why party composition matters less than structural economic interests.

Key Quotes

  1. "Canada has stood almost alone on the international stage, going so far as to say that Zelaya should not return back to Honduras. This should not come as a huge shock for Canadians as the Canadian state has been pursuing an increasingly interventionist role in Latin American affairs for a while now."

  2. "Too many Canadians have been brought up with the idea that Canada is a peacekeeping nation and that unlike the United States, it does not invade or interfere in other countries' affairs. We would argue that Canada has always been an imperialist country but it is true that in the last decade, we have seen a hardening in Canada's foreign policy, with Canadian imperialism becoming much more naked and overt."

  3. "With US imperialism having being bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, there has been an opening for Canadian interests to come to the fore in Latin America in the meantime. Moreover, considering the significant interests that Canadian banks have in the US, it is very much in their interests to defend and represent US interests in the hemisphere, too."

  4. "President Zelaya had previously announced a moratorium on new mining concessions, undoubtedly angering these Canadian mining interests. Furthermore, Montreal-based clothing giant Gildan produces over half of all their t-shirts in Honduras, and would not have benefited from Zelaya's policies that attempted to lift millions of Hondurans out of poverty with better wages."

  5. "As much as Peter Kent and the Canadian government's response (or lack thereof) to the coup d'etat in Honduras is deplorable and needs to be protested, it isn't simply due to the Conservatives being in power. Canadian interference in Latin America has been going on since before Stephen Harper took power."

  6. "The best way to defend the revolutionary movements of Latin America is to build the conditions for revolution at home."