Carney unveils first national security strategy in 20 years

Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday released The Plan for a Stronger Canada, the country’s first national security strategy in more than 20 years, setting out how Ottawa intends to tie together the economy, foreign policy, the military, intelligence and public safety against threats ranging from cyberattacks to the use of trade as a weapon.

“In a rapidly changing, more dangerous, more divided world, Canada must have the capacity to defend our sovereignty, the resilience to withstand emerging threats, and the determination to shape our own future,” Carney said in a statement from his office in Ottawa.

The document argues that the line between economic security and national security “has disappeared.” It is no longer enough, the Prime Minister’s Office said, for a country “to feed, fuel, and defend itself.”

Five priorities

The plan is built around five priorities. The first is economic security: protecting strategic industries and supply chains, maximizing energy security and investing in Canadian innovation. The second is what the government calls a “disciplined” foreign policy that diversifies Canada’s trade and security partnerships with like-minded countries.

The third is rebuilding the Canadian Armed Forces to meet NORAD and NATO commitments, with a larger domestic defence industry, faster procurement through the Defence Investment Agency, and more attention to Arctic security and to stability in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East.

The fourth covers public safety, with stepped-up efforts against foreign interference, espionage, violent extremism and transnational organized crime, including extortion, fraud, money laundering, online exploitation and sanctions evasion. The fifth is modernizing Canada’s intelligence agencies, including updating their legal authorities “while safeguarding Canadians’ rights.”

What comes next

The government said it will bring forward proposals to modernize national security legislation within the plan’s first year, and that Carney will convene a First Ministers’ Meeting on national security with the premiers. The strategy is to be updated at least every four years.

The release did not attach new spending to the plan. It pointed instead to $10.9 billion over five years, announced in Budget 2025, to upgrade digital infrastructure at National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Communications Security Establishment. The government’s next budget is scheduled for Nov. 5.

Defence Minister David McGuinty said the plan is “about building a stronger, more secure, and more resilient Canada that can stand on its own.” Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said it aims to “safeguard our democratic institutions,” while Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said it would “strengthen our strategic industries and critical supply chains.” Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Canada’s security and prosperity “are increasingly shaped by events beyond our borders.”

Canada’s last national security policy, Securing an Open Society, was released in 2004, after the Sept. 11 attacks. The new document says it brings together principles that have guided the Carney government’s foreign and domestic policy over the past year and a half.

The full strategy is published on Canada.ca. The Prime Minister’s Office news release is also available in our Press Releases section.