Conference of Defence Associations Institute
The CDA Institute's programming convenes experts in Canadian defence, international security, and politics to provide nuanced discussion about current and ongoing issues in defence and security. https://cdainstitute.ca/
Episodes
122 episodes
How Are Emerging Threats Reshaping Arctic Security and Continental Defence?
The Arctic has become an increasingly important focus of North American defence planning due to its geographic role as the shortest route for a range of modern missile systems and its growing relevance to surveillance, maritime activity, and ea...
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Nordic Approaches to Total Defence
As NATO adapts to a rapidly evolving security environment following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, countries across the Nordic region are strengthening deterrence by advancing “total defence” models that integrate military capability ...
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Total Defence in the Baltics
As NATO adapts to a rapidly evolving security environment following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, countries across the Nordic-Baltic region are strengthening deterrence by adopting a “total defence” approach that integrates military ...
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Canada Hits 2% Defence Spending: Substance or Symbolism?
On March 26, 2026, Canada reached the NATO defence spending target of two per cent of GDP for the first time in decades. The government achieved this after a late boost to defence funding, supported by internal reorganization and measures to st...
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On the Sidelines of the 2026 Ottawa Conference with Dr. David Borys
On today’s episode of the Expert Series, we bring you a special recap recorded on the sidelines of the 2026 Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence - capturing timely reflections aligned with this year’s theme, “The Road to 5%.” As Canada sig...
Carney Announces $35B Plan for Arctic Defence
As Canada seeks its security and operational capacity in the North, Prime Minister Mark Carney recently announced a $35-billion federal plan to expand defence capabilities and infrastructure across the Arctic and northern regions, including upg...
India and Canada Reset Ties with Increased Defence Cooperation
As Canada seeks to strengthen its independence and resilience in a more uncertain world, Prime Minister Mark Carney recently embarked on a 10-day tour of the Indo-Pacific, meeting with leaders in India, Australia, and Japan. Today, Jona...
What is the endgame in Iran?
On February 28, 2026, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated, an event that shocked the region and raised significant questions about Iran’s operational security. While his death is undeniably significant, the Islamic Republic sur...
Operationalizing the Defence Industrial Strategy: Can Canada Deliver?
On today’s episode of the Expert Series, CDA Institute Executive Director Gaëlle Rivard Piché and CGAI President & CEO David Perry examine how Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy is redefining the relationship between strategic autonomy, e...
Unpacking Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy
On today’s episode of the Expert Series, we examine Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy and how it aims to reshape military readiness, domestic industrial capacity, and Canada’s position in a rapidly shifting geopolitical environment. Vi...
Wargaming in the Arctic
On today’s episode of the Expert Series, we delve into the strategic complexities of Arctic security through the lens of wargaming. MGen (Ret’d) Dennis Thompson, creator of the game and Senior Mentor and Instructor at the Canadian Forces Colleg...
How is Canada Rebuilding Its Armed Forces?
On today’s episode of the Expert Series, UBC Professor and CDA Institute Fellow David Borys is joined by CDAI Chair General (Ret’d) Tom Lawson and Vice-Chair Wendy Gilmour to discuss their recent National Post opinion piece on...
Montreal Climate Security Summit Series, Part 3: Ukraine, Energy, and Readiness in Modern Warfare
As Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this week, the links between defence planning, energy vulnerability, and resilience in Europe are once again front of mind.In this very timely release, the CDA Insti...
Can Carney's Canada Contend with a "Ruptured" Global Order?
On today’s episode of The Expert Series Podcast, we speak with Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist, to examine the Trump administration’s interest in Greenland, growing strains within the transatlantic alliance, and what recent deve...
Montreal Climate Security Summit (MCSS) Series, Part 2: Climate Disinformation as a Strategic Risk
The CDA Institute’s Climate Security Programme has launched a limited set of episodes of the Expert Series podcast highlighting key insights from the 4th Montreal Climate Security Summit (MCSS), co-hosted with NATO CCASCOE.Recorded follo...
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What do Trump's Greenland Ambitions mean for Canada and NATO?
On today’s episode of The Expert Series Podcast, Climate Security Programme Director, Pauline Baudu talks with leading experts about Greenland and Arctic security amid renewed tensions triggered by the current U.S. administration’s annex...
The Evolving Role of the National Security and Intelligence Advisor
The role of Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA) has become increasingly pivotal in response to a rapidly evolving global security environment. Created in 2005, the position was designed to address gaps in Canada’s nationa...
Venezuela, Greenland and the 'Donroe Doctrine'
On Today’s episode of The Expert Series Podcast, Dr. Roland Paris, Ben Rowswell, and Dr. Kamran Bokhari examine the recent U.S. strikes on Venezuela, the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, President Trump’s renewed discussion around the poten...
2025 Year in Review: Is Canada Prepared for the Threats & Challenges Ahead?
From the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump to the Defence Investment Strategy, Budget 2025, the CPSP downselection, Canada’s integration into ReArm Europe, and this summer’s NATO Summit announcement that Canada would meet the 2% GDP ta...
What Trump's National Security Strategy Means for Canada
The 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy arrives, in the words of today’s panel, as a strikingly coherent and assertive statement of American strategic intent—a document whose internal consistency carries deeply worrying implications for Canada...
Montreal Climate Security Summit Series, Pt. 1: Civil-Military Cooperation
The CDA Institute’s Climate Security Programme has launched a limited set of episodes of the Expert Series podcast highlighting key insights from the 4th Montreal Climate Security Summit (MCSS), co-hosted with NATO CCASCOE. In our ...
'If We don't Enhance Our Defence and Security, We Give up Our Sovereignty'
On today's Expert Series, Paul Taillon and Howard Coombs joined us to discuss Canada's plan to expand its reserve forces, with goals to increase the primary reserve to 100,000 and the supplementary reserve to 300,000. They discusse...
Is it Time to Update Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy?
In 2022, Canada unveiled its Indo-Pacific Strategy, committing $2.3 billion to boost its role in a region increasingly seen as the geopolitical and economic center of gravity. Has Canada actually become a relevant player in the Indo-Pacific, or...
Canada Strong? Unpacking the Significance of Budget 2025
Canada's parliament has narrowly approved Prime Minister Mark Carney's first federal budget, allowing his minority Liberal government to avert an early election.The 2025 federal budget commits an additional $81.8 billion over five years ...
Canada Narrows Choice for New Submarines
Canada has shortlisted two international shipbuilders, Germany's TKMS and South Korea's Hanwha Ocean, for its Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, which aims to replace the Royal Canadian Navy's aging Victoria-class submarines. The program plans ...
