Debating creating a Canadian CIA? Never say never, but now is not the time

Canada needs to bolster its national security apparatus. That’s not a compelling reason to launch a new agency, which would be a disruptive, time consuming, and costly machinery change.

Canada is a lagging middle power, and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government needs to take a realistic review of our place in the world. Urgency dictates that we prioritize, consolidate, and build on what we have, writes Martin Green.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY MARTIN GREEN

January 21, 2026

A cacophony of national security trends and threats are rightly a central part of Canada’s current public discourse.

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