Reacting to Global Forces: Information Management and the Case of the F-35S

Global forces have had a direct impact on the autonomous ability of domestic political leaders to shape and develop policy—a growing process that is often referred to as a “hollowing” of the state. Using a descriptive approach, this paper provides an overview of some of those newly emerged actors with a specific a focus on the Canadian context. It then goes on to outline one of the Government of Canada’s key policy reactions to the hollowing-out process—the tool of information management and message control. Exploring the motivation as well as the implementation of this political tool is key to understanding the Government’s justification in its usage as well of its end goal of shaping public perceptions and achieving political support. Finally, the paper will provide readers with a timely case study to demonstrate some of the potential drawbacks of employing this type of policy tool. The Canadian acquisition process of new generation fighter jets, the F-35s, is a particularly opportune and compelling case which demonstrates how the Canadian Government has attempted to employ information management and message control to its own benefit. Ultimately, however, it can be seen that the usage of such policy tools does not always profit the Government, particularly when employed at a time when public confidence is low