Canada releases first national security strategy in over two decades

Mixed · 2Prime Minister Mark Carney's government released Canada's first national security strategy in over two decades on Thursday 29 October 2026, titled "The Plan for a Stronger Canada". 1 2 Right · 1The National Post described the document as more than 13 pages, giving a high-level view of how Ottawa aims to protect the country against war, artificial intelligence, hackers, espionage, sabotage and foreign interference. 1 Centre · 1According to the Prime Minister's Office statement reported by Anadolu, the plan reflects "profound new realities", including an eroding rules-based international order and threats to sovereignty from cyberattacks to the "weaponisation of trade deals", and says "The line between economic security and national security has disappeared." 2

Centre · 1The plan sets five priorities: economic security and resilience; a "disciplined foreign policy" that diversifies partnerships; rebuilding the Canadian Armed Forces; protecting Canadians from criminal and national security threats; and modernizing intelligence capabilities. 2 Centre · 1On defence, the government says it will build a stronger domestic defence industrial base, accelerate procurement and strengthen Arctic security, while contributing to stability in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East. 2 Right · 1The strategy also focuses on growing Canada's autonomy in eight sectors: emerging technologies, critical minerals, defence, energy, transportation, pharmaceuticals and biotech, food security, and "payments, settlements and investments". 1

Centre · 1It commits to intensify efforts against foreign interference, espionage, violent extremism and transnational organized crime, and to strengthen sovereign intelligence capabilities and update legal authorities "while safeguarding Canadians' rights". 2 Right · 1The National Post reported that the document promises new intelligence and national security legislation within a year, a review of the whole national security enterprise, including oversight and review bodies, within four years, and five further strategies (foreign policy, defence, public safety, intelligence and economic security) in coming weeks and months. 1 Right · 1In a background briefing, unnamed senior officials said frontier AI "may be one of the greatest threats facing Canadians today", citing its speed-up of cybercriminals' ability to exploit software vulnerabilities and models acting beyond their designers' intentions. 1

Right · 1Officials hinted at building a foreign human intelligence capacity but one said they were not "on the verge of announcing a separate agency that would be akin to the CIA or MI6"; new authorities or a new body might come "somewhere down the road". 1 Right · 1Officials said the measures will carry costs but declined to give details ahead of next week's federal budget, and acknowledged that many Canadians are wary of giving police and intelligence agencies more power, promising better public communication on threats. 1 Centre · 1Carney said Canada "must have the capacity to defend our sovereignty, the resilience to withstand emerging threats, and the determination to shape our own future"; Defence Minister David McGuinty said the strategy is about a Canada "that can stand on its own", and Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Canada's security is "increasingly shaped by events beyond our borders". 2