It was a pleasure to join Simi Sara on Mornings with Simi⁠ this morning to discuss the need for a new Canadian national security policy and the potential creation of a foreign intelligence agency.

The program airs on 730 CKNW⁠ Vancouver’s news and talk radio station serving British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. Simi is an experienced Canadian radio and television broadcaster who brings newsmakers, experts, and journalists together to examine the issues affecting Canadians.

Our discussion focused on a question that should guide Canada’s approach to national security: what are our national interests, and what are we prepared to do to protect them?

A national security policy should establish clear priorities, guide investment, and give government a common direction. It should inform our defence policy, foreign policy, and industrial strategy, ensuring that decisions made today support Canada’s interests well into the future.

Within that broader framework, a dedicated foreign intelligence agency deserves serious consideration. Canada must be able to assess developments abroad through the lens of its own priorities. A new agency would need a clearly defined purpose, complementing our existing intelligence capabilities and strengthening our contribution to allied partnerships.

This requires careful consideration of mandate, resources, and democratic accountability. It also requires us to recognize that preparedness carries a cost, and so does being unprepared. Protecting sovereignty depends on our ability to anticipate threats and make informed, independent decisions.

These questions should transcend party politics. Canada’s security is a lasting national responsibility, extending beyond any government or electoral cycle.

Thank you to Simi and the CKNW team for the opportunity to contribute to this important conversation.

To find the interview, visit CKNW’s Audio Vault and select September 21, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. Pacific / 9:00 a.m. Eastern. The conversation begins approximately six minutes into the hour. Broadcasts remain in the archive for ten days.