A policy brief for a National Service initiative, submitted to the Office of the Prime Minister in April 2025.
We are living in extraordinary times. Events beyond our control have upended Canada’s longstanding prosperity, security, and stability. Two in five Canadians believe it is at least somewhat likely that the United States will attack Canada militarily in the next five years (Environics, April 2025). A similar percentage of Canadians 18-34 years old would vote to be American if offered citizenship (Ipsos, March 2025). Canada faces existential threats from dissolution and absorption by an aggressive neighbour when international norms are weakening. Military power alone will not preserve Canada. National identity, cohesion, commitment of all Canadians to support broad-based emergency preparations are all urgently needed.
This policy brief sketches the contours of a National Service initiative designed to address both the practical and ideological dimensions of this existential threat.
