Canada faces a geopolitical moment unlike any in recent memory. The erosion of the rules-based international order, deepening great power competition, and the aggressive behaviour of the Trump administration have fundamentally altered Canada’s national security and defence planning.
But increased defence spending alone will not deliver lasting national value. Canada faces three compounding structural failures: insufficient industrial and manufacturing capacity to convert defence investment into sovereign capability at scale; a chronic failure to retain the intellectual property and intangible assets generated by publicly funded research; and a lack of analytical and coordination capacity within the federal government to align defence and industrial goals.
What is needed is a Canadian dual-use industrial commons—an integrated ecosystem that builds manufacturing capacity, retains the downstream value of defence investment in Canada, and ensures that governance over critical systems remains in Canadian hands.
