Canada is entering a new era of defence investment. With government plans to increase military spending up to three to five percent of GDP, the country faces a strategic decision: how to align these resources with the pressing security challenges of the twenty-first century. Two issues are increasingly intertwined with national security yet often treated as separate: climate change and disinformation. Recent discussions at the Montreal Climate Security Summit, where military, academic and civil society experts convened, made one point clear: defence in the coming decades cannot succeed without integrating climate resilience and information integrity into core planning.
Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue; it is a national security concern. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events and ecological degradation directly affect military readiness, infrastructure resilience and operational capacity. Ports, bases and training facilities are vulnerable to flooding, storms and other climate-related disruptions. Simultaneously, climate-related crises can amplify social tensions, undermine public trust and create conditions for both domestic and international conflict. Defence planning that ignores these realities risks leaving Canada unprepared for both natural and human-driven threats.
Equally pressing is the rise of disinformation campaigns targeting Canada’s democratic institutions, policy decisions and social cohesion. As military participants representing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the Montreal summit emphasized, modern conflicts increasingly occur in the digital realm, often asymmetrically and without formal declarations of war. State and non-state actors exploit disinformation to weaken governance, erode trust in science and evidence-based policy, and manipulate public opinion. Canada is already subject to such campaigns, including misinformation related to climate policy, as outlined by NATO; elections, which we saw from recent findings by the Hogue Commission into foreign interference; and public health, where anti-vaccine disinformation has contributed to rising cases of measles — all highlighting the need for proactive strategies that protect both citizens and institutions.
At the same time, these two domains — climate and information — are deeply interconnected. Environmental degradation creates vulnerabilities that malicious actors can exploit, while disinformation campaigns can undermine public support for climate action and erode societal resilience. In this context, defence planning that addresses only traditional military threats is insufficient. Instead, Canada has an opportunity to reframe defence spending as an investment in broader national resilience — one that strengthens infrastructure, protects democracy and drives innovation across sectors.
Beyond Traditional Threats
This reframing is already beginning to appear in federal policy. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recently launched defence industrial strategy signals a shift away from a narrowly kinetic understanding of security toward a broader conception of resilience, preparedness and strategic autonomy. While reaffirming Canada’s commitments to NATO and collective defence, the strategy emphasizes the growing importance of hybrid threats, infrastructure resilience, Arctic and climate-related security, and the protection of democratic institutions in an era of information warfare. Notably, it acknowledges that future conflicts will be shaped as much by climate disruption, cyber operations and disinformation as by conventional military force — thus creating a policy opening to align defence investments with climate adaptation and information integrity objectives rather than treat them as adjacent or secondary concerns.
As such, the government understands that the solution lies in integrating climate adaptation and counter-disinformation capabilities into Canada’s defence strategy. This includes investing in green technologies and resilient infrastructure, developing technological tools to detect and mitigate online disinformation, and fostering cross-sector partnerships that bring together military, academic and civil society expertise. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND) are already exploring hybrid warfare strategies; embedding climate and information security into these frameworks can ensure that Canada is prepared for both physical and digital threats.
Some preliminary policy recommendations highlight the path forward. First, we should direct defence budgets toward climate-resilient infrastructure and technology. Military bases, training facilities and critical installations should be fortified against climate impacts. Investments in sustainable technologies not only reduce environmental risk but also promote operational efficiency and innovation.
Second, we should be developing military-grade disinformation monitoring and response tools. These should leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to enable the CAF to anticipate, detect and respond to disinformation campaigns that threaten Canadian security. These tools should operate in collaboration with public institutions and private sector platforms to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Third, we must foster cross-sector collaboration. Defence, academia and civil society should work together to design anticipatory strategies for hybrid threats. This can include workshops, research partnerships and scenario-based planning exercises to generate solutions that are both innovative and practical.
Fourth, we should be integrating climate-informed risk assessments across defence planning. Climate considerations should inform procurement, strategic planning and operational readiness. This ensures that defence policies are forward-looking and resilient to future environmental and social shocks.
Reframing defence in this way will also produce wider societal benefits. By addressing disinformation and climate risk, Canada will strengthenits democratic institutions and support evidence-based policy making while also positioning itself as a global leader in integrated security approaches. Moreover, these investments will stimulate research and innovation to create opportunities for Canadian industries and knowledge sectors to contribute to security solutions at home and abroad.
It is increasingly clear that these are not theoretical risks; military leaders and security experts are already grappling with them. Canada has a window of opportunity to act proactively, embedding resilience into defence spending decisions rather than reacting to crises as they emerge. By linking climate adaptation, information integrity and defence strategy, Canada can transform its military investment into a broader shield for national security and societal well-being.
Ultimately, this approach reframes defence not as a cost, but as an investment in Canada’s long-term prosperity and global leadership. In an era of hybrid threats, extreme climate events and information warfare, the most effective defence is one that protects both the physical and informational environments on which our security depends. For Canada, embracing climate and information security is not optional — it is essential.
