Prime Minister Mark Carney announced The Plan for a Stronger Canada on October 29, setting out five priorities and pledging further work on national security legislation.
A new national framework
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a national security strategy on October 29, described by the federal government as Canada's first in more than two decades. Called The Plan for a Stronger Canada, the framework treats supply-chain resilience, economic stability and critical technologies as national security questions alongside conventional defence. It is a government strategy and should not be confused with legislation already passed or funding already spent.
The five stated priorities
The strategy identifies economic security, a more diversified foreign policy, rebuilding the Canadian Armed Forces, protection from criminal and national security threats, and modernized intelligence capabilities. Officials say these priorities will guide whole-of-government coordination across trade, infrastructure, defence and public safety. The government's case is that reliance on foreign suppliers and rapidly evolving threats require Canada to develop more of its own capacity.
Defence and cybersecurity
The federal release points to investments in Canadian defence manufacturing, Arctic security and cyber resilience. Ottawa says Budget 2025 included $10.9 billion over five years for digital infrastructure across National Defence, the Armed Forces and the Communications Security Establishment. That earlier budget allocation is background to the strategy, not $10.9 billion in entirely new funding announced October 29.
What to monitor next
The government says it will convene a First Ministers' Meeting on national security and bring forward legislative modernization proposals within the strategy's first year. It has committed to updating the plan at least every four years. Those future steps will require separate scrutiny of implementation, financial commitments, provincial cooperation and protections for privacy and civil liberties.
Sources & transparency
Prime Minister of Canada — The Plan for a Stronger Canada, October 29Original CDN News coverage. Sources are linked for reference.
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