From 2006 to 2015, Stephen Harper attempted to redefine Canadian identity by replacing the liberal version of Canadian nationalism with a neoconservative nationalism. Following theoretical insights described by representatives of nationalism studies, we propose three necessary conditions to the emergence of a neonationalism: a sentiment of sociopolitical exclusion; the political mobilization of this sentiment; the rediscovery and reinterpretation of national history. The article examines the latter condition in detail, demonstrating the value of foreign policy and military history in the crafting of a new nationalism. Analyzing the works of Jack Granatstein shows how he “rediscovered” a past that was used for the neoconservative nationalist project.