Shows / Conference of Defence Associations Institute
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
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada is Investing $3 Billion in Sovereign Space Capabilities
On October 21, 2026, Minister of National Defence David McGuinty announced a new package of investments to accelerate Canada’s sovereign space capabilities…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada Is Creating a Crown Corporation for Defence Procurement
On October 6, 2026, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-40, the Strengthening Canada’s Defence Sector Act, proposing to establish the Defence Investment…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat the River-Class Destroyer Means for Canada's Naval Power
Canada’s River-class destroyer program reached a major milestone on June 12, 2026, with the ceremonial keel laying of the future HMCS Fraser in Halifax…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada is Restructuring Its Army
The Canadian Army implemented a new mission-based structure on September 10, 2026, reactivating 1st Canadian Division as a deployable manoeuvre division…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy the Canadian Rangers Matter to Arctic Sovereignty | Operation NANOOK
The Canadian Armed Forces is conducting a series of Operation NANOOK activities across the Arctic to strengthen domain awareness, test joint operational…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteShould Canada Join the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF)?
In September 2026, the Government of Canada announced its formal application to join the United Kingdom-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a framework…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada is Pivoting to Europe for Defence
On September 17, 2006, Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed European Parliament in Strasbourg, calling for a deeper Canada-Europe partnership as Canada…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada Is Investing $1.4 Billion in Ammunition
Earlier this year, the Government of Canada announced a $1.4 billion investment through the Canadian Defence Industry Resilience Program to establish a…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat Canada's New Icebreaker Fleet Means for Arctic Sovereignty
On August 24, the Government of Canada announced an $11.3 billion contract with Chantier Davie to build six new Polar Class III icebreakers for the Canadian…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCanada Joins the Global Combat Air Programme to Develop 6th-Generation Fighter
On July 21, Canada became the first observer nation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the UK, Italy and Japan’s effort to develop a sixth-generation…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteHow Is Canada Ramping Up Its Drone Supply?
On August 12, the Canadian Armed Forces hosted the Red Cobalt Uncrewed Systems Accelerator, bringing Canadian defence companies, innovators and military…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat Does Canada's New $2.3 Billion Military Satellite Contract Mean for Arctic Defence?
On August 4, the Government of Canada announced a $2.3 billion contract with Telesat to deliver the first phase of the Enhanced Satellite Communications…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCan Canada's Air Force Keep Up with Modern Warfare?
In this episode of the Expert Series, CDA Institute senior fellow David Borys speaks with LGen Jamieen Speiser-Blanchet, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada Needs More Ships | RIMPAC 2026
As Exercise RIMPAC 2026 draws to a close, our fellow David Borys speaks with CDA Institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Gaëlle Rivard Piché, and Commander of…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCanada Invests in New Armoured Combat Support Vehicles
In this episode of the Expert Series, CDA Institute senior fellow David Borys speaks with Major-General (Ret’d) David Fraser about the federal government’s…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada Turned to Australia for Arctic Surveillance
In today’s episode of the Expert Series, Dr. Thomas Hughes, Dr. Andrea Charron, and Dr. Malcolm Davis examine Canada’s landmark $2.5 billion bilateral…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteAllies Push to Shift Burden Away from the United States at NATO Summit
Following the NATO summit and Canada’s commitments to increase defence spending, our senior fellow David Borys speaks with former Canadian Ambassador to NATO…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCanada Selects TKMS for CPSP Submarine Fleet
Following the Canadian government’s selection of the German-Norwegian bid from TKMS as the preferred supplier for Canada’s Victoria-Class submarine…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCan Venture Capital Fix Canada's Defence Industry?
In February 2026, Canada launched its first Defence Industrial Strategy, backed by major new funding through the Business Development Bank of Canada and the…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCanada is About to Choose its Next Submarine
With Ottawa expected to announce its preferred supplier for the Victoria-Class submarine replacement, Dr. Paul T. Mitchell speaks with CDA Institute Fellow Dr…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada Bought HIMARS
In this episode of the Expert Series, Colonel (Ret'd) Stéphane Boucher, President of the Royal Canadian Artillery Association, explains why Canada is…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCanada's Drone Capability Gap
This episode of the CDA Institute’s Expert Series brings together perspectives from academia, the Canadian Armed Forces, and industry to examine how drones and…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat a Mixed Fighter Fleet Would Mean for Canada
This week there are reports that Canada is revisiting the possibility of acquiring a mixed fleet of fighter aircraft, including F-35s and Saab Gripens. The…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhy Canada is Buying a Swedish Surveillance Aircraft Over U.S. Bids
This week, Canada formally entered negotiations with Saab to purchase the GlobalEye airborne early warning system. The announcement comes amid growing…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteThe Suspension of the Canada-U.S. Defence Board: What it Means for Trust and Defence Cooperation
The Permanent Joint Board on Defence (PJBD), a long-standing but low-profile mechanism for Canada–U.S. defence coordination, has recently been suspended…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWill Expanded Defence Investment Agency Powers Streamline Procurement?
The Liberal government plans to significantly expand the newly created Defence Investment Agency (DIA), giving it broader authority beyond standard military…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat Does Canada Gain by Hosting NATO-Backed Defence, Security and Resilience Bank?
As countries place greater focus on defence spending, supply chain security, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure, NATO allies and partner nations are…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteOne Year In: Has Carney Strengthened Canada’s Defence?
As the Mark Carney government marks one year since its April 28, 2025 election, its defence agenda has been defined by a sharp increase in military spending…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteHow 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteNordic 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteTotal 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCanada 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteOn 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 -…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCarney 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteIndia 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteOperationalizing 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteUnpacking 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWargaming 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteHow 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteMontreal 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCan 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteMontreal 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteThe 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteVenezuela, 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…
Conference of Defence Associations Institute2025 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteMontreal 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…
Conference of Defence Associations Institute'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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteIs 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCanada 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCanada 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…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCarney Launches New Defence Investment Agency
Yesterday, as part of ongoing measures to streamline defence procurement, Prime Minister Carney and the Liberal government launched a Defence Investment Agency…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteIs Bureaucracy Hindering Military Preparedness? Modernizing Canadian Artillery
On this week's episode of The Expert Series, Anne Rifenstein sits down with Colonel (Ret'd) Stefan Boucher and Lieutenant General (Ret'd) Andrew Leslie to give…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteNATO Article 4 Talks | Canada & Poland Strengthen Defence Relationship
In early September, Poland reported a major escalation in Russian drone activity, with 19 drones penetrating Polish airspace. In response, Warsaw initiated…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWill the Coast Guard's shift to DND & the Ice Pact Strengthen Canadian Security & Industry?
In response to an increasingly complex and competitive Arctic security environment, Canada has taken major steps to strengthen its maritime capabilities. Over…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat challenges and opportunities will the River-Class Destroyer pose for Canada's naval strategy?
The River-class destroyer is needed to address the aging and retiring fleet of Iroquois and Halifax-class warships, whose capabilities no longer meet current…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteWhat Has Canada Learned from Op UNIFIER?
Through Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s ongoing support for Ukraine demonstrates the critical role of middle powers in combatting contemporary security challenges…
Conference of Defence Associations InstituteCan Canada Realistically Diversify Its Defence Partnerships Beyond the U.S.?
The rapidly shifting international environment has sparked renewed interest in CANZUK cooperation as a potential axis for middle powers seeking to safeguard…