Energy & Environment

PM Mark Carney announces Canada has achieved the NATO 2% defence spending target

The 2 percent of GDP defence spending target is a foundation for an even stronger, more independent, more secure Canada.

Prime Minister Carney announced Thursday, 2026,03.26, more than $3 billion in infrastructure and defence-related investments across Atlantic Canada:

In Nova Scotia, targeted investments to modernize critical infrastructure, build new facilities to support the next generation of naval and air fleets, and expand training and operational capacity. Canada is investing:
- $1.2 billion to modernise critical power and municipal service infrastructure at CFB Halifax Dockyard and Stadacona – upgrading essential services and facilities to ensure the base has sufficient power and utilities to support new capabilities and future naval operations.
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‘Iran is likely to emerge weaker but more violent, aggressive, and vengeful’

Thomas Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, writing in Foreign Policy Magazine:

The Iranian regime is suffering heavy blows as a result of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign, but it is not on the verge of collapse. A prolonged war lasting months would increase the probability that it could fall, but it now appears that the war will end before that, with Iran’s current government in place. This means the Islamic Republic is likely to emerge weaker but more violent, aggressive, and vengeful.
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Beyond its borders, Iran will be forced to adapt some aspects of its foreign policy while striving to maintain others. It will likely be emboldened by having shown that it can almost completely close the Strait of Hormuz and dramatically impact global energy prices. Having lost several of its power projection assets, it will therefore rapidly invest in rebuilding the capabilities it needs to threaten shipping in the strait again, specifically its missile and drone programs. It will also enthusiastically remind whoever listens that it could renew its campaign in response to future pressure or threats.
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Trump’s threats to NATO reveal glaring absence of any strategy on Iran

Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, writes:

If there was a moment when the absence of a US strategy on Iran was exposed, then this was it. Donald Trump demanded on Saturday that the UK, China, France, Japan and others participate in a naval escort for oil tankers through the strait of Hormuz.
Despite launching the attack on Iran, with Israel, the White House does not seem to have fully anticipated what was likely to follow. Iran had few good military options for fighting back, but attacking US bases, US allies and merchant shipping in the Gulf was the most obvious response – to try to impose costs on the west.
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Trump, fixated on military power, had no particular desire to work with any country other than Israel – and none wanted to join in starting a war against Iran. As a result, naval preparation by US allies before the start of the war was nonexistent. None of Britain, France, China and Japan had warships ready to take up convoy duties.
For any escort operation to be viable, it might require eight to 10 destroyers, according to Richard Meade, the editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, though that would be enough to protect only “five to 10 vessels, making a transit every day and a half”. That would amount to about 10% of prewar shipping volumes.

Nordic countries and Canada deepening partnerships in trade, technology, energy, defence, and security

To bolster Canada’s Arctic security, defence, and economic partnerships, Prime Minister Mark Carney, travelled to Bardufoss and Oslo, Norway, this week. In Bardufoss, the Prime Minister observed Exercise Cold Response – a Norwegian-led NATO exercise above the Arctic Circle to enhance the Alliance’s readiness, interoperability, and defence capabilities. Prime Minister Carney was joined by the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, and the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz.

Prime Minister Carney also attended the Canada-Nordic Summit, where he met with leaders from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden to reinforce efforts to strengthen transatlantic security in the North.

Joint statement by the Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries and Canada, 2026.03.15, Oslo, Norway:

We – the Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries and Canada – met in Oslo today, 15 March 2026.
At a time characterised by heightened geopolitical tension, war and a multitude of crises, we are united in the view that international cooperation, based on international law, shared values and interests, remains the best way to strengthen our common security and prosperity.
As democracies and countries committed to the rule of law, human rights, and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states, we share fundamental values, and strengths.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $35 billion investment for defence and infrastructure in Canada’s North

From Yellowknife, NWT, on Thursday 2026.03.12, Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a detailed $35 billion plan to modernize and expand Canada’s military footprint in the country’s Far North and Arctic.

From the Government of Canada’s News Release:

To defend fully Canada’s Arctic and North, deter new threats, and support NATO Allies and NORAD continental defence, Canada’s new government is:
Investing $32 billion at Forward Operating Locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Iqaluit, and at Deployed Operating Base 5 Wing Goose Bay.
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What the US attack on Iran could mean for national security

On 2026.03.05, Bruce Hoffman, senior fellow at US-based Council on Foreign Relations, wrote:

The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly warned of potential lone-wolf attacks and cyberattacks in the wake of the strikes, and state and local authorities have moved to heightened alert for any retaliation on American soil.
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Sleeper agents, lone actors inspired and motivated by Iran, cyberattacks on US infrastructure, and physical attacks on critical infrastructure are all possible.

Europe should prepare for coordinated cyberattacks to their energy infrastructure from Russia

In December 2025, a wave of Russian cyberattacks hit energy facilities across Poland, a sign that Moscow may be willing to expand its energy campaign beyond Ukraine.

Chelsea Cederbaum, a senior threat intelligence analyst at the American cybersecurity company Recorded Future, wrote “there’s a high risk of escalation by Russia over the next two years” that could included cyberattacks coordinated across wider regions of Europe’s grid, drone flights close to critical infrastructure, and Kremlin-sponsored digital disinformation campaigns designed to paint European countries as unprepared.

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High ranking Trump official invites Alberta separatists to join the US [Updated]

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented Thursday, January 22, 2026, on the separatist movement in Alberta, saying “I think we should let them come down into the US, and Alberta’s a natural partner for the US.”

Bessent falsely claimed the federal government would not allow Alberta to build a pipeline to the Pacific coast.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney warned “compliance will not buy safety” in a world where the rules-based order has collapsed

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney urged middle powers to unite against coercion from aggressive superpowers, warning “compliance will not buy safety” in a world where the rules-based international order has collapsed.

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Russia behind cyberattack on Polish energy infrastructure

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday, January 15, 2026, there are strong reasons to believe a group connected to Russian secret services was behind a December cyberattack on Poland’s power grid last month.

“There are many reasons to believe… that they were prepared by groups directly linked to the Russian services, I don’t want to speculate, but I don’t think we have any doubts about the sources of inspiration,” Tusk told a press conference.

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