How should Canada adapt its defence policy to deal with the realities of the new geopolitical environment? Since Donald Trump’s return to power, a number of experts have suggested that Canada should overhaul its foreign policy, diversify its strategic partnerships, and develop more autonomous capabilities in terms of intelligence, deterrence, and the defence industry. These proposals may seem like heresy, so discordant are they with Canada’s historical complacency on defence matters. Yet the current geopolitical situation demands that Canada be equipped with sovereign defence capabilities. The current debates are nothing new. In this analysis, we propose that Canada return to a little-known concept in Canadian defence policy. This concept is that of ‘defence against help’, developed by Nils Ørvik in 1973 with the aim of proposing the contours of a defence policy for a state facing a major power on its borders. When this concept was used to give meaning to Canadian defence policy, particularly in the context of its asymmetrical relationship with the United States, many argued that Canada was pursuing this strategy in its relations with the United States. However, this is not the case. Rather than adopting a strategy of developing a military force capable of guaranteeing … Continue reading Canada must defend itself against US aid by developing sovereign capabilities