Risk Management: The Effects of Militarization and Surveillance within the Canadian Context

Since the inception of the ‘war on terror’, Canada has been among the group of Western democratic countries that have extensively depended on militarization and subsequently relied more heavily on surveillance technologies to monitor its citizens in the name of security. It can be contended that the purpose of surveillance technologies and the militarization of Canadian society post-911, is a precursor to greater government control; constructing ideal citizens that are ‘governable’ and can benefit the government by giving up certain freedoms, supporting government initiatives aimed ostensibly at securing citizen safety. This logic fits in nicely with narratives that argue there is no end to the ‘war on terror’ and therefore countries like Canada will continue indefinitely to militarize and rely on surveillance technologies. This proposed paper will examine sociologically the relationships between on the one hand, popular discourses and practices of militarization, and on the other, the adoption of surveillance systems whose software and hardware have become routine aspects of negotiating everyday life for all citizens.  While government uses such risk management knowledge to seek security, social and other inequalities tend to be reproduced. This paper will investigate the effects of Canadian political discourses surrounding militarization as the site for government control on the construction of Canadian identity.  Using critical discourse analysis (CDA) which specifically emphasizes a sociological (rather than economic) framework, the rise in militarization, its links with surveillance, and its effects on the reconstruction of Canadian identity will be investigated.