Canada Releases Its First National Security Strategy in Over 20 Years

Reference News Network reported on November 1 According to the Canadian "Globe and Mail" website on October 29, based on a newly introduced national security strategy, the Canadian federal government will strengthen its intelligence collection capabilities and "prepare for various potential situations, including war." The strategy states that to maintain sovereignty, there is a current need to enhance "strategic capabilities" in eight key areas, including critical minerals, defense, and emerging technologies.

The "Stronger Canada Plan" was released on the 29th and is the first national security strategy introduced by Ottawa in over 20 years. The full text is only 13 pages long and serves as a framework document guiding national policy formulation in five major areas: defense, diplomacy, economic security, public safety, and intelligence.

Senior Canadian officials held a briefing in Ottawa regarding the plan, stating that the threats Canada faces are becoming increasingly complex, spanning multiple dimensions from climate change, terrorism, and pandemics to cyberattacks, cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI), and the rising risk of large-scale warfare.

The office of Prime Minister Mark Carney stated in a declaration that he plans to convene the first ministerial meeting on national security to strengthen coordination with provincial and territorial governments. The declaration also stated that Ottawa will propose legislative recommendations within a year to modernize national security laws.

A major theme of this new plan is "strategic autonomy." This is a broad security concept that Carney previously defined as the ability of a nation to act independently based on its own national and economic interests, without being easily coerced by superpowers.

This strategy is the first comprehensive national security strategy introduced by Canada since the Liberal Party, led by former Prime Minister Paul Martin, released "Securing an Open Society: Canada's National Security Policy" in 2004.

Carney stated, "Today's strategy reflects a new reality. Simply achieving food self-sufficiency, energy independence, and national defense is no longer sufficient. Now, maintaining sovereignty requires secure access to semiconductors, critical minerals, payment systems, clean energy technologies, vaccines, space-based communications, and AI."

The strategy states that Canada's goal is to "establish a sober and pragmatic cooperative relationship with the United States" and will strive to "maintain relations with the U.S. based on mutual respect, adherence to national sovereignty, and shared responsibility for North American security."

The strategy points out that Ottawa will "enhance sovereign intelligence collection and analysis capabilities," meaning Canada will strengthen its ability to independently collect secret information rather than relying on other countries. Canada will enhance the capabilities of its electronic surveillance agency, the Communications Security Establishment, as well as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Defense Intelligence Operations.

According to the strategy, Canada will reduce its vulnerabilities and risks by enhancing capabilities in eight key areas: emerging technologies such as AI and quantum computing, critical minerals, defense, energy, transportation, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, food security, and financial payments, trading settlements, and investments.

The above statements align with the themes Carney has advocated over the past year. At the Davos Forum in Switzerland, he described the "fracture of the world order" and argued that middle powers like Canada are not powerless. In February of this year, when releasing Canada's first "Defense Industrial Strategy" report, he stated that Canada should never become a "hostage" to the decision-making of other countries on security issues.

Carney recently stated that he plans to "reduce" dependence on the "Starlink" satellite internet system, "achieve diversification of sources," and cited the example of Ukraine: the country's access to "Starlink" services has been "repeatedly shut down and restarted in a manner not autonomously decided by the parties involved in the conflict."

The strategy also proposes that the Canadian military will draw on Ukraine's experience in combat against Russia and will be given a clear mission: to defend Canada and Canada's national interests. The strategy states that the armed forces will strengthen special operations capabilities and practical training, enabling the nation to withstand threats ranging from space to cyberspace. (Translation/ Qiu Fang)