Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Building a more resilient Canadian economy by reducing strategic vulnerabilities and strengthening industrial capacity.
Canada’s economic security increasingly depends on its ability to compete in strategic industries, strengthen supply chains and domestic capabilities, and manage dependencies without closing itself off from the global economy. As industrial policy, economic coercion and geopolitical competition reshape global markets, Canada needs a clearer view of what it must build, where it can remain open, and where greater protection and resilience are required.
China’s state-supported industrial strategy is a central part of this challenge. Across critical minerals, batteries, connected vehicles, clean technology, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and other foundational industries, its scale creates opportunities for engagement but also competitive pressures and strategic dependencies that can become difficult to unwind.
The Initiative will develop the sector-specific analysis needed to navigate these choices. It will examine where engagement with Chinese companies, capital and technologies serves Canadian interests, where dependencies create unacceptable risk, what Canada should seek in return for market access, and what needs to be protected, restricted or strengthened. The work will also consider how these choices affect Canada’s industrial ambitions, supply-chain resilience and evolving economic relationship with the United States.
Because many of these challenges are shared, CSS will build an international research and policy network with trusted partners in the Indo-Pacific and Europe facing similar choices. Comparative research and policy dialogue will examine industrial overcapacity, critical dependencies, investment and technology security, research protection and the Arctic dimensions of strategic competition. The objective is to strengthen Canada’s economic resilience and industrial position while preserving openness where it serves Canadian interests and protecting sovereignty and national security.
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Related Publications
Canada has helped shape the international conversation on critical-mineral resilience. The next task is to demonstrate that it can build.
Policy Magazine | August 27, 2026
Our Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada Series on Chinese EV Investment
As Prime Minister Mark Carney has thawed Canada’s bilateral relationship with China within his wider policy of diplomatic and trade diversification in the face of an increasingly volatile United States, the question of Chinese electric vehicle investment in Canada has taken on new importance.
Whether Donald Trump acknowledges it or not, Iran is the likely spoiler in his summit with President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week. As Trump prepares to negotiate trade tensions with Beijing, he faces a far more intractable crisis in the Persian Gulf.
Canadian Global Affairs Institute | September 1, 2023
The Race to Secure Sustainable Supply Chains: Why Canada and South Korea Ought to be ‘Best Friends’
With climate change presenting profound challenges and opportunities worldwide, countries are racing to secure supply chains and position themselves as leaders in the clean energy transition. The electric vehicle (EV) supply chain in particular presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Canada as a producer of critical minerals.
Carney and his team indicated that they were ready to walk away from a deal and face the threatened tariffs.
Centre for Strategic Statecraft | September 14, 2026
A geopolitical sales pitch for Canada in a world of weaponized trade
Prime Minister Mark Carney is selling some 167 major projects to investors at this week’s Canada Investment Summit. The strongest case for Canada may be a geopolitical one: in a world of weaponized trade routes, it is the reliable bridge between Asia and Europe.
The Globe & Mail | September 17, 2026
In Strasbourg, a muted Carney reins in EU enthusiasm and gives no answers
Prime Minister Mark Carney walked to the European Parliament’s lectern Thursday morning in Strasbourg, France, fresh off a clear political victory. But his vision of closer European Union ties has also clashed with harsh reality.
Centre for Strategic Statecraft | September 21, 2026
Why the Trump-Xi Washington Summit Matters to Canada
The Vietnamese president’s visit comes as Ottawa and Hanoi are both searching—from very different geopolitical positions—for greater resilience, diversified partnerships, and room to manoeuvre in a more contested world.
Centre for Strategic Statecraft | September 24, 2026
Canada and Vietnam: A Strategic Partnership Built on Economic Complementarity
As Canada and Vietnam prepare to elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership, guest author Dr. Quynh Tran, Chief Trade Representative of Vietnam to Canada, argues that the most compelling reason isn’t about trading more with each other, but about building productive capacity together.
Related Media
Photo: A J Butler
The Globe and Mail | August 4, 2026
Carney looks to influential outsiders to head Canada’s embassy in Beijing, sources say
Martin Cauchon, a vice-chair of the Canada China Business Council lobby group and former Liberal cabinet minister, is under consideration to be Ottawa’s envoy to China as both countries work to mend fractured diplomatic and economic ties, three sources say.
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Prime Minister of Canada, CC BY 4.0
Politico | August 25, 2026
The trade war came too soon for Mark Carney’s middle powers alliance
The Canadian prime minister called for pro-trade democracies to resist great-power coercion together. Seven months later, he is largely fighting Trump alone.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The White House
Hindustan Times | August 27, 2026
US desire for veto over Canada’s pacts with other nations was dealbreaker: Carney
Canada plans retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. starting September 8, rejecting U.S. demands for veto power over its trade deals, says PM Carney.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Al Jazeera | August 21, 2026
US, Canada negotiators race to ink a deal as Trump’s tariff deadline looms
Experts say even a last-minute breakthrough will not result in the US lifting all its tariffs against Canadian goods.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
CBC News | August 30, 2026
CBC News Network talks to Vina Nadjibulla about diversification of trade
How China and India could reap the benefits of a divided Canada-U.S. trade relationship
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The White House
Al Jazeera | August 28, 2026
With the US and Canada locked in a trade war, fears of a recession lurk
Analysts say Canada may lose 100,000 jobs under the current tariffs and could go into recession if the USMCA pact ends.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The Hill Times | September 2, 2026
U.S. eyes updated pact on critical minerals amid calls for Canadian cut off
Canada has been seeking to link discussions on critical minerals to broader conversations about its relationship with the U.S., but that may not bear fruit, say observers.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Daniel Pereira
The Globe and Mail | January 12, 2026
This will be the real test of Mark Carney’s visit to China
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to China marks a significant milestone in this country’s relations with Beijing. It signals Ottawa’s intent to improve a strained relationship at a moment when Canada is also navigating threats from the Trump administration.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Daniel Pereira
East Asia Forum | February 21, 2026
Canada’s pragmatic turn towards China is not without strategic limits
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s January 2026 visit to China marked a pragmatic recalibration of Canada–China relations and a broader shift towards a more interest-based, strategically autonomous Canadian foreign policy.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Kim Newberg
The Globe and Mail | March 6, 2025
Canada must dream big and spend big as it faces the Trump threat
Canada’s giant response to the MAGA threat means that we must spend hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade for our country to remain prosperous and secure.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The Globe and Mail | April 29, 2026
Canada’s USMCA advisory panel is a smart move – but it’s missing the economy that now matters most
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to appoint an advisory panel for the upcoming USMCA negotiations is welcome. Canada and its allies have long relied on such independent, cross-sectoral expertise to inform complex trade strategy.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Lars Hagberg
The Toronto Star | August 22, 2026
A deal with Donald Trump isn’t the end of instability. It’s just the start of it
The recent trade talks mark only the end of the beginning of negotiations with the Trump administration. We should expect the U.S. to continue using its economic leverage to dominate Canada, potentially forcing our country into a customs union-like arrangement in which Washington dictates the terms.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The Globe and Mail | September 1, 2026
Don’t worry, Canada. The trade war will end, and end quickly
Feeling down about Trump’s trade wars and the latest tariff hit against Canada? Don’t be despondent. Though things may get a lot nastier, particularly if we get trapped in a cycle of counterretaliation, Canadians can take some comfort in the fact that trade wars don’t last forever.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Lars Hagberg
The Globe and Mail | August 7, 2026
Concession Carney faces his Neville Chamberlain moment
As U.S. President Donald Trump’s Aug. 19 deadline approaches, Prime Minister Mark Carney is making concessions to keep looming tariffs at bay.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The Globe and Mail | May 18, 2026
Globalization gutted Canada’s manufacturing. Here’s how we make things ourselves again
If we act now, we will be a country that can produce far more of what it consumes at a profit.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Erica Chang
Policy Options | May 29, 2024
Canadian expertise could help secure Vietnam’s threatened Mekong River Delta
Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy has great potential for helping create a mutually beneficial relationship with the emerging Asian country
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The Korea Times | July 29, 2026
Canada’s submarine decision should not derail strategic partnership with South Korea
Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy, released in 2022, designated South Korea as a key player in the region. Since then, the two countries have increased the scope of their cooperative efforts.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The Globe and Mail | February 28, 2025
To create a grand strategy for a world in turmoil, Canada should think smaller
From Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and China’s coercive diplomacy, to American protectionism and the fracturing of global institutions, the world order is no longer predictable. Yet Ottawa continues to navigate these crises with an outdated and ineffective foreign-policy tool kit.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Eurasia Group
Foreign Affairs | February 5, 2025
Canada Is Merely First in Line
Earlier this week, it appeared as if the Trump administration was going to follow through on its threat to impose a sweeping 25 percent tariff across the board on Canadian exports to the United States.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: SECWAR
The Hill Times | July 30, 2026
Defence industry boom can be a dividend for Canada-Japan ties
Amid this rising instability, Canada and Japan are reliable partners, with shared values and aligned strategic interests. The task for Canada and Japan will be to turn the agreements and frameworks in place into concrete action which can secure their continued security.
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Arctic Security and Defence Initiative
Photo: Lars Hagberg
The New York Times | May 2, 2025
The World Is Watching Canada
This week Canada’s Liberal Party pulled off an improbable, come-from-way-behind fourth-term win. There will be little time for the party or its leader, Prime Minister Mark Carney, to celebrate.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
The Globe & Mail | September 8, 2026
Canada holds first defence co-ordination talks with China in more than eight years
Canada has restarted military talks with China after a break of more than eight years that began with Beijing’s jailing of two Canadians in late 2018.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Lars Hagberg
Toronto Star | August 30, 2026
Don’t try to punish Donald Trump’s America with tariffs. Do this instead
The real question is not how much short-term trade pain Canada can inflict on the United States, but how Canada can use this opportunity for long-term gain by building a stronger, resilient economy at home. That is why Canada must play defence, not offence.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: GoToVan
Toronto Star | September 8, 2026
While some debate the word, we overlook Canada’s real problem with terrorism
A recent controversy over the CBC’s approach to describing terrorism and the September 11 attacks opened a debate over what we do and do not call terrorism, but it also exposed a preoccupation with terminology over substance when it comes to terrorism in Canada.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
iPolitics | September 9, 2026
Canada-China defence talks not a shift in security posture, expert says
An expert on Canada-China relations is cautioning against turning renewed defence talks between Ottawa and Beijing into a partisan issue, while calling on the federal government to be more transparent about the purpose of the dialogue.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: The Hill Times by Andrew Meade
The Hill Times | September 11, 2026
Day two of the cabinet retreat in Banff
Across the ocean, India is hosting a crucial BRICS summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping in attendance, along with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and several other leaders. The bilateral meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi will be of particular significance, said the co-founder of a new foreign policy think tank, the Centre for Strategic Statecraft, Vina Nadjibulla.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Chris Tanouye/Reuters
Al Jazeera | September 14, 2026
Mark Carney pitches Canada to global investors amid US trade war
Hundreds of investors overseeing nearly $120 trillion in assets will gather in Toronto for the Canada Investment Summit.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP
Politico | September 14, 2026
Trump’s bond sell-off isn’t helping energy prices — or data centers
Drilling down: More than one-third of the projects (63 of 167) are related to minerals and metals. Fifty-two of those 63 “involve critical minerals or related processing and value chains,” writes Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft, a Canadian think tank. She said that’s “one of the striking things about the pitch book” because: “That matters for economic security, trade diversification and Canada’s ability to build more of the strategic supply chains of the future.”
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo:Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
The Globe & Mail | September 14, 2026
Chinese state-backed investors join Carney’s summit, signalling thaw with Beijing
Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder and CEO of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft, a new think tank, says it’s reasonable to have Chinese investors in the room for Canada’s investment summit. But she says national security concerns become especially relevant for investments touching quantum technology, advanced manufacturing, defence and other sensitive sectors in Canada’s pitch book. “The objective cannot simply be to attract as much capital as possible,” Ms. Nadjibulla said, adding that the government must ensure foreign investment does not compromise control over critical technologies, strategic assets or broader national security interests.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
NPR | September 16, 2026
EU offers Canada ‘associate member’ role; Trump calls it ‘laughable’
"There's a lot of excitement about what associate membership means when it does not in fact exist … among people who would support closer ties to the EU," Aaron Burnett, Senior Fellow says. "This is also becoming a partisan issue in Canada, with the opposition now saying, 'well, please explain what powers you're willing to give up to Brussels and what you would get in return.'"
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Institute of Geoeconomics | September 18, 2026
Beyond the Trade War: Canada’s Struggle for Economic Sovereignty
Vina Nadjibulla joins the Geoeconomic Agenda podcast to discuss the evolving Canada–U.S. relationship, its implications for Canadian sovereignty and economic security, and Canada’s push to diversify its global partnerships.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Financial Times | September 23, 2026
Mark Carney and the limits of defying Donald Trump
Rapprochement with China is also delicate, not least because Canadian intelligence services deem Beijing an “enduring threat” and one of the “main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage”. “There is a legitimate role for the Chinese capital in Canada,” says Vina Nadjibulla, an Asia policy expert and founder of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft. “But pragmatism cannot mean treating all capital as strategically neutral.”
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
The Hill Times | September 23, 2026
Wait grows for formal plan underpinning a new Canadian foreign policy
Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder and CEO of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft, said she isn’t surprised by the delay in releasing the plans given the current geopolitical shocks. “But having said that, I do believe that we need these documents to come out—or some versions of them to come out publicly—so that the Canadian public can clearly see what our priorities are, and also so that’s something that’s available to our allies,”
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Photo: Abdul Saboor/Pool Photo via AP
CTV News | September 24, 2026
Vietnam’s leader To Lam visits Ottawa as Carney reaches out to middle powers
“We have had visits by the prime minister but never by the leader of Vietnam,” said Vina Nadjibulla, CSS Co-founder & CEO. Nadjibulla said while Vietnam is a communist country, it’s also trade-dependent — like Canada — and seeks to preserve the rules-based international order and economic diversification.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
CBC News | September 24, 2026
Trump rolls out the red carpet for China. What does that mean for Canada? | Power & Politics
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House with a military band and air force flyover, to mark Xi's first visit to Washington in over a decade. The two powers are setting out to find some common ground on the issues dividing them — and the outcome has implications for Canada, says Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder and CEO of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson - AP
CBC News | September 25, 2026
CBC’s Marianne Dimain speaks with Co-Founder & CEO, Centre for Strategic Statecraft, Vina Nadjibulla
CSS Co-Founder and CEO Vina Nadjibulla spoke with CBC News host Marianne Dimain about President Donald Trump hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. Vina observed that the visit placed a strong emphasis on symbolism and ceremony, as Trump sought to highlight his relationship with Xi, while concrete deliverables from the summit were limited.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
The Hill Times | September 25, 2026
Canada to have direct flights to Vietnam
During Vietnamese President Tô Lâm's visit to Ottawa, Canada and Vietnam signed four MOUs and expanded their air transport agreement to allow direct flights. CSS Co-founder & CEO Vina Nadjibulla said the "significant" timing reflects both countries' push to diversify trade amid U.S. tariffs. She pointed to growing opportunities for Canadian LNG and agricultural exports, along with Vietnamese interest in partnering on technology, defence, and aerospace.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: VNA
Vietnam+ | September 25, 2026
Vietnam, Canada have ample room for cooperation in new era: Canadian researcher
In an interview with Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Canada, Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder and CEO of CSS, said a notable aspect of the Vietnamese leader’s speech was the convergence between the country’s message and the positions Canada is promoting at the UN.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
CBC News | September 24, 2026
Vietnam’s president upgrades Canada to strategic partner during state visit
The new strategic partnership signifies deeper co-operation on longer-term goals, said Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft, "We're in a moment where the relationship can go to a new level, and there's definitely political desire on both sides."
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
CPAC | September 25, 2026
Xi-Trump Summit: What It Means for Canada
Chinese President Xi Jinping has concluded a three-day visit to Washington, where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump amid ongoing tensions between the world’s two largest economies. CPAC anchor Marc-André Cossette is joined by Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder and CEO of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft, to discuss the U.S.-China relationship and what it means for Canada.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: White House Photo / Daniel Torok
The Vassy Kapelos Show | September 24, 2026
VKS: What to watch for in the high-stakes Trump-Xi Summit
U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting China's President Xi in Washington for a high stakes bilateral meeting today. Graham Richardson speaks with China expert Vina Nadjibulla, the co-founder and CEO of the Centre for Strategic Statecraft.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative
Photo: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Global News | September 26, 2026
Pomp, pageantry and an extended trade truce: Trump and Xi wrap up three-day summit in Washington
Chinese President Xi Jinping has concluded a three-day state visit to Washington, marked by extensive pomp and pageantry. Global's Jazan Grewal is joined by Vina Nadjibulla, co-founder and CEO at Centre for Strategic Statecraft to discuss the major takeaways from the visit, including an extension of the trade truce.
Economic Resilience and Security Initiative