Impact Few actors have achieved the popularity of
Harrison Ford. His portrayals of characters who
meet extraordinary challenges with courage and de-
termination have won him a large number of fans
and the respect of his peers. Whether he plays swash-
buckling action heroes or ordinary men who must
become heroes, Ford remains one of Hollywood’s
most resilient and successful actors.
Further Reading
Duke, Brad.Harrison Ford: The Films. Jefferson, N.C.:
McFarland, 2005.
Jenkins, Garry.Harrison Ford: Imperfect Hero. Secau-
cus, N.J.: Carol, 1998.
Pfeiffer, Lee, and Michael Lewis.The Films of Harri-
son Ford.3d ed. Reno, Nev.: Citadel, 2002.
Kimberley M. Holloway
See also Action films;Blade Runner;Empire Strikes
Back, The; Film in the United States;Raiders of the Lost
Ark; Science-fiction films; Spielberg, Steven.Foreign policy of Canada
Definition The interactions of the Canadian
government and its representatives with other
countries of the world
After a decade of strained relations with the United States,
Canada developed closer ties to its southern neighbor follow-
ing the election of Conservative prime minister Brian
Mulroney in 1984. Related to this development, Canada
pursued more foreign investment and fewer regulations on
trade. The nation also acquired an increased role in global
affairs.
Canadian foreign policy in the 1980’s changed as
the decade progressed. Under Liberal prime minis-
ters Pierre Trudeau and John Turner, the country
experienced differences with the United States dur-
ing the decade’s first few years. In 1984, however, a
Conservative landslide victory produced a change
in emphasis in Canadian foreign policy. Brian
Mulroney, the new prime minister, adopted a more
pro-United States stance and sought to place fewer
restrictions on international trade in order to ad-
dress the country’s economic problems.
Divisions in the Early 1980’s Divisions between
Washington and Ottawa began before the 1980’s.
The strained relations between the United States
and Canada in the first few years of the decade were
due mostly to two factors: ideological differences be-
tween Prime Minister Trudeau and U.S. president
Ronald Reagan and an emerging uncertainty within
Canada about the nation’s proper role in the world.
The economic ties that had developed in North
America since World War II made some Canadians
fearful of becoming too dependent on the United
States. They supported governmental assertions of
independence from the Americans.
However, as was true in much of the Western
world, significant economic problems occurred in
Canada at the dawn of the 1980’s. People became
concerned about high taxes, inflation, and unem-
ployment. Similar to reactions in the United King-
dom in 1979 and in the United States in 1980,
Canada experienced a shift toward conservatism inThe Eighties in America Foreign policy of Canada 385
Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard inBlade Runner. Ford’s perfor-
mance against type disappointed fans at the time but would later
be seen as one of his most important roles.(AP/Wide World
Photos)