Canada’s chance to shine is slipping away

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Sunny South News

Canada Day felt different this year. With wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, shifting geopolitical fault lines, and unstable leadership in the West, we are living in an era of global conflict and political strife. Canada, long insulated by oceans, alliances, and politeness, can no longer afford the illusion of safety. With polls showing a resurgence of Canadian patriotism, we now face a choice: dither and decline, or rise to greatness.

Canada has the potential to be a great power—one that shapes world affairs, protects its people, and projects influence across diplomatic, economic, technological, and cultural domains. We possess vast natural resources—critical minerals, freshwater, arable land, and ethical energy.

As a founding member of NATO, the UN, and other global institutions, we have an advanced economy, a highly educated, bilingual population, and a history of innovation in space, nuclear research, biomedical engineering, and AI. Our strategic position, bordered by the U.S. and surrounded by three oceans, uniquely positions us to thrive in the 21st century.

Yet, strength unused decays, and power undeveloped fades. Canada is not a serious player on the world stage. While adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran advance militarily, economically, and diplomatically, Canada remains passive. These nations may not share our values, but they do share an adversary: the liberal West. Meanwhile, we sit idle, allowing our adversaries to act with impunity.

Our core values—free markets, the rule of law, individual liberty, democratic governance, and human rights—are under attack. To secure our place in the world, we must defend these values with every element of national power. Canada is vulnerable to political warfare, weakened by foreign interference, corruption, elite capture, organized crime, lax immigration enforcement, and misguided policies. A demoralized and underfunded military sends a clear message: Canada is not worth defending.

U.S. President Donald Trump, despite his divisive politics, understands what our political class refuses to acknowledge: Canada has failed to defend its own interests and rise beyond the minimum required.

Canada’s greatness begins with rejecting the rhetoric of a “post-national state” and a “cultural mosaic” that erodes our unity. Greatness is achieved only when we are strong, united, and proud of our shared identity. Our diversity should be a source of strength, but it must be bound by a commitment to common values and national goals. We must foster a confident national psyche—rooted in history, purpose, and shared destiny. This sense of pride should be instilled in every school, celebrated in every region, and defended at every level of government.

To rebuild our greatness, we must act decisively. First, we need to rebuild our military. It’s not enough to announce big spending promises; we must invest wisely. We must make military service a career young Canadians aspire to, grow both the regular and reserve forces, and invest in cyber and space capabilities that rival NATO nations. Strengthening Arctic sovereignty and military power projection will be key, as will developing a strategic deterrent to ensure our adversaries think twice before challenging us.

Second, we must purge foreign interference. A full, transparent public inquiry with real consequences is needed—no more toothless rhetoric. Foreign funding in politics should be banned, and criminal penalties introduced for acting as unregistered foreign agents. Our leaders must prioritize Canada’s national interests, not the goals of foreign adversaries working to undermine our values.

Third, we must renew our institutions. We must defend the Charter, protect media independence, and ensure that universities remain free from ideological capture. Restoring merit, freedom of speech, and equal citizenship as the guiding principles of Canadian society is essential.

Finally, Canada must develop a comprehensive national strategy. We need to define what it means to be Canadian and eliminate barriers to the free movement of goods, services, people, and ideas across the country. By investing in northern infrastructure, energy corridors, and advanced research, we can strengthen our national position. Immigration must be reformed to ensure high-value integration into Canadian society. We should build hubs for space, quantum computing, AI, and nuclear innovation, and unleash our natural resources for global trade.

Canada’s path to greatness will not be easy, but it is well within our grasp. Nation-building is difficult, but it is necessary. We are the descendants of pioneers and rebels, builders and warriors, who carved a nation from wilderness. Our future is bright but only if we commit to making it so.

Let this past Canada Day be the moment we decided to become the great power we are destined to be. We owe it to each other, to our children, and to our allies.

Jeffrey Reynolds is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Michel Maisonneuve is a retired Lieutenant-General, senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, and author of In Defence of Canada: Reflections of a Patriot (2024).

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