National security strategy to address array of threats coming soon: Carney adviser

OTTAWA — The Liberals are poised to release a new national security strategy for the first time in more than two decades, says a senior federal adviser.

David Morrison, senior diplomatic and international affairs adviser to Prime Minister Mark Carney, says the strategy will look to bolster Canada's defences against an array of security threats.

“In an increasingly tumultuous world, all risks have gone up,” Morrison told MPs on the House of Commons public safety and national security committee earlier this week.

Morrison added in French he hopes the new strategy will be public within a week or two.

The coming strategy “will have a whole-of-society focus, informed by voices within and outside government, and increase Canada's focus on economic security,” said Privy Council Office spokesperson Mélany Gauvin.

“It will chart how Canada will enhance its own strategic autonomy to advance its national interests.”

The strategy is expected to address long-standing concerns including espionage, terrorism and foreign interference, as well as Canada's ability to safeguard its economy in a fractious world of shifting alliances and trade patterns.

In 2004, the Liberal government led by Paul Martin released Securing an Open Society, the most recent overarching national security policy.

Two years ago, then prime minister Justin Trudeau directed officials to deliver a renewed national security strategy in 2025.

He said it should set out an integrated framework for national security, defence and diplomatic posture, “leveraging engagement with Canadians from coast to coast to coast.”

Trudeau also said the new strategy should be reviewed every four years.

Efforts hit a snag early last year, when it became clear many of the assumptions underlying the work were “no longer valid,” according to an internal federal memo prepared in March 2025.

— The Canadian Press