Canada Mathew Z. Borden NATO and Canada

Lessons from the Canada-Spain Turbot War: A Cautionary Tale of Multilateral Governance

In 1995, Canada and Spain entered into a maritime dispute off the eastern coast of Canada. Canadian warships intercepted and seized Spanish fishing vessels not obeying the quotas of multilateral institutions tasked with fostering intergovernmental cooperation in the area. This conflict, dubbed the Turbot War, is an example of Canada use of unilateral force when multilateralism fell short. Lessons from this case should be applied to the changing Far North.