National security strategy to address array of threats coming soon: Carney adviser

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The coming strategy “will have a whole-of-society focus, informed by voices within and outside government, and increase Canada’s focus on economic security,” said Privy Council Office spokesperson Mélany Gauvin.

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“It will chart how Canada will enhance its own strategic autonomy to advance its national interests.”

The strategy is expected to address long-standing concerns including espionage, terrorism and foreign interference, as well as Canada’s ability to safeguard its economy in a fractious world of shifting alliances and trade patterns.

In 2004, the Liberal government led by Paul Martin released Securing an Open Society, the most recent overarching national security policy.

Two years ago, Justin Trudeau, the prime minister at the time, directed officials to deliver a renewed national security strategy in 2025.

He said it should set out an integrated framework for Canada’s national security, defence and diplomatic posture, “leveraging engagement with Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast.”

Trudeau also said the new strategy should be reviewed every four years to ensure it remains current and responsive.

Efforts to come up with a revamped national security strategy hit a snag early last year when it became clear many of the assumptions underlying the work were “no longer valid,” according to an internal federal memo prepared in March 2025.

John Hannaford, the Privy Council clerk at the time, told Carney in the memo that “changes to Canada’s strategic environment” meant work on a draft of the document was based on outdated premises.

Just days earlier, Carney had won the Liberal leadership against a backdrop of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods and President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to make Canada a U.S. state.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press