When HMS Bristol—a Cold War-era British warship with a storied past—was quietly scrapped in 2024, Senior Fellow William Brooks saw more than just a naval relic lost. In this personal reflection, Brooks traces the ensign he inherited from his U.S. Navy uncle back to a time of true Western solidarity—through war, alliance, and shared values. Today, he laments the erosion of that unity, as identity politics, weakened militaries, and fractured alliances leave the West adrift in uncertain waters.
Military
Canada Can’t Outsource Its Defence To European Allies
Former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland suggested that Canada could rely on Britain and France for protection from the United States. Lee Harding explains why that idea is dangerously naive. With a shrinking military, aging nuclear subs, and more horses than tanks, Britain can barely defend itself—let alone Canada. Harding breaks down the numbers, the risks, and why Canada must take its own defence seriously.
Policy in Five Video – Canada Can’t Rely On UK To Help With Defence
Policy in Five Video
Policy in Five Video – Canada’s Military Crisis: A Call to Action
Canada's military is in crisis. Decades of underfunding and political neglect have left our armed forces unprepared and struggling. In this compelling video, retired Lieutenant General Michel Maisonneuve shares urgent insights on the alarming state of Canada's...
Featured News
Canadian Property Rights Index 2023
A Snapshot of Property Rights Protection in Canada After 10 years
Alberta Politics and Empty Promises of Health-care Solutions
The writ has been dropped and Albertans are off to the polls on May 29. That leaves just four weeks for political leaders and voters to sort out what is arguably the most divisive, yet significant, issue for this election - health care. On Day 2, NDP leader Rachel...
Policy in Five Video – Canada’s Arctic Defence: the Growing Geopolitical Battle for the North
Trump, or any American president, would not even think of giving away sovereignty as Canada is doing so casually. As we think about security, perhaps this is a good time for Canada to work closely with indigenous communities to strengthen Arctic defence,...
Canada’s Military is Collapsing. Without Urgent Action, We Won’t Be Able To Defend Ourselves
Watch related Policy in Five video Decades of underfunding and political neglect have left our military weak and unprepared Maisonneuve (ret.), and what he told me about Canada’s military was nothing short of alarming. He didn’t mince words—our armed forces are...
Arctic Defence: The Growing Geopolitical Battle for the North
Radar domes seen above the roofs of buildings at a radar site, on Baffin Island, now in Nunavut, on April 10, 1956. Members of the radar force are seen struggling through the wind-blown snow. This site, above the Arctic Circle, is one of a number being built along a...
Leaders on the Frontier – Canada is Unarmed – with Lt. Gen. Michel Maisonneuve
Big Topics & Big Ideas
From Decoration Day to Paardeberg Day to Remembrance Day: Lest We Forget
Sentries stand at the National War Memorial in Ottawa during the Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2021. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang Every Nov. 11, Canadian eyes turn to Ottawa where, at the eleventh hour, the most solemn ceremony of our Remembrance Day takes...
From Batoche to Kandahar: Canada’s Sacrifices for Peace
There is a grave on a riverbank near Batoche, Saskatchewan. It contains the remains of a soldier from Ontario who died in 1885 under General Middleton during the last battle of the Northwest Rebellion. It has been tended for almost 150 years by the Métis...
Lest We Forget Our Military
An ocean of distance separates Flanders Fields from Ottawa. By now, we are separated just as much from the sentiments of the poem with the same name. In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, ………..If ye break faith with us who die We shall...
Remembrance Day: Rebuilding Canada’s Military
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, ………..If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. This is the iconic poem written by John McCrae while World War 1 raged, shortly before he too became...