Canada Unveils First National Security Strategy in Over Two Decades
The Canadian federal government released a new national security strategy on Thursday, its first in more than 20 years. The plan prioritizes economic defense, military modernization, and intelligence upgrades, committing to over $163 billion in defence spending by the mid-2030s while seeking to diversify trade relationships.
The Canadian federal government released a new national security strategy on Thursday, marking the country's first such framework in more than two decades. The strategy sets out key priorities that include defending the economy, preparing for all contingencies up to the possibility of war, and modernizing intelligence capabilities to gather and analyze data on emerging threats to sovereignty.
Under Prime Minister Mark Carney's government, Canada has begun increasing defence spending, targeting an allocation of more than $163 billion by midway through the next decade. To support the rebuilding of the military and defence industrial base, legislation has been introduced to create a Crown corporation dedicated to defence procurement.
The accompanying foreign policy will focus on diversifying Canada's trading relationships. While the strategy does not name specific countries as threats—despite previous comments by U.S. President Donald Trump about making Canada the 51st state—it commits to maintaining a cooperative relationship with the United States based on mutual respect and shared North American security responsibility.
On the domestic front, the strategy strengthens public safety against criminal and national security threats. However, it makes no mention of recent allegations regarding Chinese foreign interference. Senior officials stated that the creation of a separate foreign intelligence service akin to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or Britain's MI6 remains under consideration, with no decision yet made.
Security expert Wesley Wark described the plan, along with its commitment to review national security legislation within a year, as hugely ambitious. The strategy signals a broad overhaul of Canada's defence, security, and intelligence sectors, alongside potential institutional changes in how national security is organized and led.