The future of Canadian defence will not look like the past
There should be no denying that, for Canada and for our allies, we have a unique chance to diversify and expand our economic and security relationships that will be of mutual benefit.
Philippe Lagassé
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 Philippe Lagassé.
Clarifying ‘Caretaker’: The Prime Minister is the Prime Minister
Mark Carney is the Prime Minister of Canada. He held this office despite not having had a seat in Parliament prior to the general election, and he still holds the office during it. He does not hold the office and the title during some events and not during others based on a temporary, election-period, church-and-state distinction between political and executive...
How Canada can reach NATO’s two per cent target–and quickly
Canada is finally saying the right things about meeting NATO’s defence-spending target of 2 per cent of GDP by 2032. Defence Minister Bill Blair has even indicated that he’s prepared to reach the target sooner. But no new defence spending was included in the Liberals’ fall economic statement, which casts serious doubt on Ottawa’s sense of urgency. Donald Trump’s re-election...
Party leaders have the ability to step up and clean house of alleged colluders
The shocking report released by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) last week is the stuff of democratic nightmares. In brief, the committee reported that when it comes to foreign interference, the call is coming from inside the houses: several parliamentarians may be working with foreign governments in ways that undermine Canada’s national security and democratic institutions...
Canada’s new defence policy commits to exploring, instead of committing
Canada is promising to pump billions into the military. The Liberal government’s new defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence, expects Canadian defence spending to reach 1.76 per cent of GDP in 2029-2030. Over the next five years, the policy lays out approximately $10-billion in new spending, on a cash basis; looking out 2...
Léger: Conservatives making inroads in Quebec
A new Quebec-only Léger poll was released Wednesday in Le Journal de Montréal, and while the provincial numbers caught most of the media’s attention (and for good reason, as François Legault and the once-mighty CAQ has taken a devastating hit in public opinion), the poll’s federal numbers showed rather interesting divides — both regional and generational.
Time to worry about our warships
Building warships is an expensive business, especially if you’re getting back into it after a few decades. Take the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC). Fifteen CSCs will be built at Halifax’s Irving Shipbuilding to replace Canada’s current frigates and decommissioned destroyers. According to a 2022 study by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), the CSC acquisition will cost $80.2 billion. Given that...