Greg MacNeil

While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Greg MacNeil.

We Need an Uncle Louis

We Need an Uncle Louis

The McKinley comparisons to Trump are no longer theoretical. They are baked into policy. Tariffs are rising. Protectionist industrial strategies are being rolled out. American trade is now openly transactional, backed by executive muscle and shaped by economic nationalism. This is the new normal for Canada’s closest friend and largest trading partner. This weekend, Canadians mark Victoria Day, a holiday...

Fewer Voices, Faster Decisions: Carney’s Inner Cabinet Reflects a Proven Model

Fewer Voices, Faster Decisions: Carney’s Inner Cabinet Reflects a Proven Model

“You cannot fight a war on a committee of twenty.” That was the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Lloyd George’s blunt assessment in 1916. Faced with a divided and sluggish Cabinet during the First World War, he created a five-member War Cabinet to bypass bottlenecks and focus Britain’s war effort. It worked. And it helped win the war.

This Isn't Top Gun: Air Combat Is About Stealth, Not Swagger

This Isn't Top Gun: Air Combat Is About Stealth, Not Swagger

That exchange in Top Gun: Maverick wasn’t just a nod to Tom Cruise’s enduring appeal as fighter pilot. It was an admission from the screenwriters that modern air combat has moved on. Modern fifth-generation fighters like the F-35 are not built for close-range dogfights. They are designed to detect threats from long distances, strike first, and vanish before the enemy...

The End of the Peace Dividend. The Start of the Defence Dividend

The End of the Peace Dividend. The Start of the Defence Dividend

Across the Western world, a generational shift in defence and security policy is underway. The so-called “peace dividend” that followed the Cold War, when countries reduced military spending to invest in domestic priorities, is now history. In the words of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, we now need to prepare for the defence dividend. This week, Starmer committed the United...

A 100-day plan for the next PM to hit Canada’s defence spending targets within one year

A 100-day plan for the next PM to hit Canada’s defence spending targets within one year

As the United States retreats from being a unipolar power, the prevailing global order is at a crossroads. For Canada, it’s time to start thinking about what comes next and what it means for Canadian policy. The Hub is running a new essay series to grapple with these seismic changes and offer a new clear-headed direction for Canadian foreign policy...

Defence and Dollars - New spark*insights research shows a path forward on defence spending

Defence and Dollars - New spark*insights research shows a path forward on defence spending

Canada buys military equipment ponderously and hesitantly. We’ve got lots of conditions. Rethinking and revisions. If we were shopping retail, the store owner would be tempted to ask us to leave. The reason for this approach is the deep seeded belief that the military only have one chance to get a procurement right. That there is no room for error...

Defence and Dollars - New spark*insights research shows a path forward on defence spending

Defence and Dollars - New spark*insights research shows a path forward on defence spending

Canada buys military equipment ponderously and hesitantly. We’ve got lots of conditions. Rethinking and revisions. If we were shopping retail, the store owner would be tempted to ask us to leave. The reason for this approach is the deep seeded belief that the military only have one chance to get a procurement right. That there is no room for error...

Speak Softly, and Carry a Big Stick

Just days before the assassination of President McKinley, Vice President Teddy Roosevelt stood before an eager crowd at the Minnesota State Fair. It was here that Roosevelt shared a vision of American foreign policy that would shape his country’s approach to international relations for more than a century. “Right here let me make as vigorous a plea as I know...

Making the Political Case for Increased Defence Spending in an Uncertain World

Making the Political Case for Increased Defence Spending in an Uncertain World

It’s 2025, three years into the Ukraine conflict. and Russia, emboldened by its military achievements, perhaps emboldened by a politically distracted NATO Alliance, targets Latvia, where Canadian troops are deployed. Concurrently, a Russian submarine in the Arctic launches attacks on critical North American infrastructure, effectively hindering our response capabilities. Swiftly, Russia achieves its objectives in Latvia. This scenario is not...