As Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand touched down in New Delhi on Sunday, October 12, 2025, she carried with her the hopes of a nation eager to carve out a strategic role in an increasingly turbulent world. Her two-day visit, which includes high-level talks with Indian officials and meetings with business leaders in Mumbai, comes at a time when Canada’s international relationships—and its own domestic politics—are being tested as never before.
According to Global Affairs Canada, the purpose of Anand’s trip is to establish a framework for strategic cooperation with India, focusing on trade diversification, energy transformation, and security. She is scheduled to meet with her Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, as well as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. After India, Anand will continue to Singapore and China, underscoring Canada’s intent to deepen ties across Asia.
“Minister Anand will also travel to Mumbai, India, where she will meet with Canadian and Indian firms working to support investment, job creation and economic opportunity in Canada and India,” the Canadian government announced. The timing is no accident: with India projected to become the world’s fourth largest economy in 2025, Ottawa is determined to grow commercial ties in agriculture, critical minerals, and energy. These sectors are seen as crucial to both nations’ futures, especially as global supply chains shift and geopolitical rivalries intensify.
This diplomatic overture comes as Canada’s relationship with the United States, its largest trading partner, faces unprecedented strain. Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have not just slowed economic growth—they threaten the very foundation of the cross-border trade upon which Canada has long relied. As The Globe and Mail noted, “Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have more than simply dampened growth. They threaten the future of our trading relationship with the United States, which for decades has been fundamental to this country’s economy.”
Efforts to compensate for these losses by promoting internal free trade within Canada have made only halting progress. Regulatory barriers continue to impede the movement of goods, services, and people across provincial lines. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs frustrated by what many see as excessive red tape are increasingly looking abroad for friendlier business environments. The need for economic diversification and new international partnerships has never been more urgent.
Yet, as Canadian officials seek new alliances, the shadow of instability looms large from the south. Last week, the annual DEFSEC Defence and Security trade show in Halifax drew record attendance, reflecting both the urgency and anxiety within Canada’s defense sector. The Canadian Armed Forces, long criticized for underinvestment, are now the focus of a massive procurement push. The Carney Liberal government has pledged tens of billions of dollars to modernize military hardware and platforms.
At DEFSEC, the buzz centered on two major developments: the narrowing of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project to just two bidders—the Korean Hanwha Ocean KS-III and the German Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems design—and the surprise announcement that the government might select a winner by the end of this year, rather than waiting until mid-2026 as originally planned. This is a significant departure from Canada’s usual defense procurement process, which is notorious for delays.
Even more noteworthy was the government’s decision to finally implement a Defence Investment Agency, a promise first made by the Trudeau Liberals in 2019 but long delayed. The new agency will oversee all defense procurements valued at over $100 million, with the aim of streamlining what has often been a cumbersome process. As reported by The Chronicle Herald, “It was also announced last Thursday, the second morning of the trade show, that the Carney Liberals will finally be implementing a Defence Investment Agency aimed at streamlining defence procurement in Canada.”
But the Canadian defense community’s cautious optimism was quickly overshadowed by events unfolding in the United States. On September 30, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a dramatic—and deeply controversial—address to over 800 senior U.S. military leaders at Quantico, Virginia. Drawing on imagery from the film Patton, the event took a dark turn as Trump threatened to use the military against American citizens, labeling “dangerous cities” such as Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles as potential “training grounds.”
“We’re under invasion from within,” Trump declared. “No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they don’t wear uniforms.” He added, “I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military … because we’re going into Chicago very soon. And San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles. They’re very unsafe places. And we’re gonna straighten them out one by one. It is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. It is a war too. It is a war from within.”
The assembled generals, adhering to the non-partisan traditions of the U.S. military, neither applauded nor endorsed these statements. Yet, the remarks sent shockwaves through allied capitals. As The Chronicle Herald observed, “It would appear that the U.S. is proceeding on a course that could only result in civil war.” For Canadian officials and defense planners, the prospect of instability in the world’s largest superpower is no longer a distant hypothetical—it’s a present and pressing concern.
In contrast to the turmoil abroad, Canada’s own political culture remains, for now, a model of relative civility. As The Globe and Mail reflected in its Thanksgiving editorial, “Canada’s political culture appears to have largely escaped the intense polarization that afflicts many of our allies and friends.” While populist and far-right movements have surged in the United States and Europe, they remain marginal in Canada. The People’s Party of Canada, for example, garnered just 0.7% of the vote in the April 2025 federal election.
Canada’s tolerant approach to immigration—rooted in its dual French and English heritage and the fact that four in ten Canadians are immigrants or the children of immigrants—has helped insulate the country from the forces of nativist resentment that have roiled other democracies. Even so, challenges remain. Regional resentments, underinvestment in defense, and economic uncertainty all threaten national unity and prosperity. As Fen Hampson, Chancellor’s Professor & Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University, recently warned, “You’re going to have to work harder and you’re going to be poorer.”
Looking ahead, sustaining Canada’s economy and security in a world of rising barriers and shifting alliances will require both pragmatism and resolve. The government’s renewed focus on international partnerships, defense modernization, and streamlined procurement are steps in the right direction—but the road ahead is fraught with uncertainty. As events in the United States and Europe remind Canadians, the forces of division and instability are never far away. For now, Canada’s tradition of muddling through, of accommodation and tolerance, may be its greatest strength.
