Overview
- The federal government published The Plan for a Stronger Canada on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, as a 13‑page framework to guide five forthcoming national policies on foreign affairs, defence, economic security, public safety and intelligence.
- The plan directs major intelligence upgrades, pledging to strengthen the Communications Security Establishment, CSIS and defence intelligence, broaden partnerships beyond Five Eyes, and to prepare "for all contingencies up to and including war."
- Frontier AI is named among the country’s most serious threats with officials warning advanced models could amplify cyberattacks, espionage and disruption risks.
- Ottawa reframes sovereignty to include secure access to eight strategic sectors—emerging technologies, critical minerals, defence, energy, transportation, pharmaceuticals and biotech, food security, and payments and settlement—and links those priorities to procurement and industrial policy.
- Near‑term next steps include a new foreign policy due in about one month, more detailed sector policies over coming months, legislative proposals to modernize national‑security law within a year, and a planned First Ministers’ meeting to improve federal‑provincial coordination.