Canadians agree sovereignty is vitally important, but what exactly is it?

Today, trade, capital markets and supply chains are global. The digital revolution is led by global gatekeepers, and malicious global hegemons are replacing multilateralism and a rules-based world order with unilateralism. These developments cast a new light on what it means to be sovereign.

Prime Minister Carney, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump. Depending on where things go with CUSMA, Canada may have to consider responding to American tariffs with reciprocal actions in concert with other middle powers, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, Sam Garcia, Jake Wright, and courtesy of the White House, illustration by Joey Sabourin

Opinion

BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN

July 20, 2026

Polls all tell the same story: Canadians care a great deal about protecting our sovereignty. And governments fervently claim to be doing all they can. But are they being effective, and how can we gauge success? It starts with a much clearer understanding of what sovereignty�...

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