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Jocelyne Bourgon

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The return of great-power rivalry, the weaponization of trade, technological competition, cyber insecurity, climate change, demographic pressures, and growing challenges to democratic governance have renewed interest in sovereignty. Under threat from outside and pressures from within, the question is especially important for Canada. For many decades, the discourse in Canada about sovereignty has been framed in constitutional terms. But the concept of sovereignty should take a broader and more consequential meaning. Sovereignty cannot be defined only in legal terms but by the capacity of a state to shape its own trajectory in a complex, turbulent and interdependent world.

From trade negotiations to megaprojects, from defence to procurement, from everyday transactions to major investments, every decision becomes a strategic decision with a clear purpose: will this decision, action or intervention enhance Canada’s effective sovereignty now and in the future? Canada needs a sovereignty strategy to give clarity of purpose to the many strands of actions and decisions needed to navigate through an accelerating period of change.