"See the world as it is, not as you wish it would be."

Canada thought it could skate by before. It should be clearer than ever that it cannot.

It’s time to step up.

So, apparently China is building a Death Star...

"The fuzzy numbers from DND might be a mistake. They might be due to byzantine arithmetic from NATO. One thing is for certain: the Liberals have yet to come clean with Canadians that meeting this country’s defence commitments will require sacrifice, either in the form of higher taxes or reallocations of spending to military priorities. For their part, the Conservatives have been silent on how rebuilding the military would square with their vow to balance the budget."

"Both parties need to lay out a clear, credible plan to reach the NATO goal during the life of the next government. Failure to do so should be disqualifying in the eyes of Canadians."

"Still often confusing legal and regulatory hurdles that limit how and when counter-drone systems of any kind can be employed within the homeland are key drivers behind the U.S. military’s current plans. Concerns about risks of collateral damage resulting from the use of anti-drone capabilities factor in heavily, too. This all, in turn, raises questions about the potential for serious gaps in the currently allowable but still largely non-existent domestic drone defense ecosystem."

No matter how you run the numbers, Canada is embarrassing itself.

Some of these might be your neighbour's DJI, but are we willing to bet all of them are? "At least one of the drones was 'roughly 20 feet long and flying at more than 100 miles an hour, at an altitude of roughly 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Other drones followed, one by one, sounding in the distance like a parade of lawn mowers.'" The home front is no longer the impenetrable fortress it once was. We face layered and diverse threats that require an entirely new way of conceiving of them, let alone interdicting.

"Investors have a unique opportunity to shape the future of aerospace and defense by supporting startups that leverage technology to address critical challenges. Investing in this sector is crucial for enhancing national security and safeguarding our democracy." We have been consistent in our vision and message; private capital is a key driver of innovation and national security, and investments in this space are poised to deliver outsized returns.

"As many Western companies operate in places Western governments don’t, they should then share their insights with their home governments and other friendly states. And governments should return the favor."

"Despite having the sixth largest GDP among NATO countries, Canada ranks twenty-seventh in defense spending as a proportion of GDP."

"In Europe, dual-use is often used to make defense more palatable ... that does [the sector] a disservice as it creates almost a negative demand signal towards defense. It needs to change, and that signaling needs to come from governments and organizations that provide the capital.”

“If you come without this equipment to the front line you will die, definitely. You will live maybe one hour..."

"So, in the face of a serious national security crisis – credible allegations that members of Parliament on both sides of the House have been acting, in effect, as agents of a foreign power – we are presented with one leader who knew and did nothing, and another who knew nothing and did less."

The sooner we stop blaming the opposing party, the sooner we can unite to keep our adversaries at bay. National security is too important for partisan politics.