This article originally appeared in the Globe and Mail.
By Alex Wilner, May 12, 2025
Canadians are supercharged.
Voter turnout for the federal election was the highest in 30 years. The “Buy Canada” movement is gaining momentum, and the great summer staycation of 2025 is under way. Today, surveys are showing that 90 per cent of Canadians agree our country has a cultural identity worth defending.
With Canadian patriotism alive and kicking, it’s the ideal moment for Canada’s new government to redefine the meaning of national service. That’s why Ottawa should convert our new-found patriotic energy into a national civil defence movement – one that’s able, organized and trained to respond to emergencies.
Civil defence is a whole-of-society endeavour. It entails individuals providing their communities with the energy and expertise needed to withstand a range of crises, alongside – and even in the absence of – government support.
Canadians have been here before. As Peter MacLeod, Canada’s leading voice on civic engagement, reminds us, our civil defence program trained civilians to respond to nuclear warfare during the Cold War. Volunteers co-ordinated fallout shelters, logistics, infrastructure protection, national stockpiles and emergency response, until the program ceased when global tensions eased in the 1980s.
Today, crisis and conflict are back, and Canadians find themselves in an increasingly dangerous world. The U.S. is no longer a dependable ally. Authoritarianism is on the march. Global humanitarian institutions have been hollowed out. Climate change feeds state fragility. Zero-sum relations overshadow diplomacy. And armed aggression compromises geopolitical stability.
Canada’s European allies have gotten the message.
Last year, Swedish authorities distributed a detailed brochure to every household, describing how citizens were expected to support themselves and their communities against armed aggression, terrorism, cyberwarfare, epidemics and extreme weather. “From the year you turn 16 until the end of the year you turn 70,” the document reads, “you are part of Sweden’s total defence.”
Norway’s plan equips civil society with the means to address various crises while supporting its military. The plan requires something from everyone. Households are to stockpile provisions. Municipalities must establish emergency-preparedness committees to co-ordinate responders. Developers need to include shelters in new buildings. Companies are obliged to create industrial safety and cybersecurity systems. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation – the equivalent of our CBC – is responsible for emergency communication while the government builds the Norwegian Civil Defence force, funds training for voluntary organizations, strengthens border surveillance, improves counter-disinformation measures and achieves food self-sufficiency.
Canada should follow suit.
A new Canadian civil preparedness initiative could be led by Public Safety Canada and our Department of National Defence. It would co-ordinate a pan-Canadian, multisectoral approach to civil defence centred on training, preparedness and volunteerism.
Canadian adults should receive free and accredited training in first aid, emergency preparedness and disaster response. Provinces could mandate that high school students receive the same training. Specialized instruction in self-defence, bushcraft, emergency communication, crisis leadership, cybersecurity and search-and-rescue could also be offered. Organizations like the YMCA, Red Cross and St. John’s Ambulance would each have a role to play.
All levels of government should pursue public outreach initiatives, providing information on preparedness via guidelines, checklists and mobile apps. National standards for households, businesses, and municipalities can help ensure Canadians know how to sustain themselves during emergencies.
Canadians should be encouraged to volunteer their time and skills. A national opt-in registry could help mobilize trained local volunteers when needed. Similarly, the Canada Service Corps should be expanded, providing vastly more young Canadians with the opportunity to meet different needs across the country.
This isn’t the time for half measures or tepid pilot programs. A Canadian Civilian Defence Corps can be launched quickly with little new funding: National Defence already has the physical space and skilled trainers at armouries across the country. Volunteers might commit just one evening a month – a small sacrifice for our families’ and communities’ safety.
In times of need, Canadians step up. Now our government should empower them to help protect the country they love.
Alex Wilner is an associate professor and director of the Infrastructure Protection program at Carleton University, and a senior fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute.
