National Security & Defence Dialogues
The National Security and Defence Dialogues (NSDD) are a new initiative aimed at bringing together senior leaders from government, industry, academia, and the defence community for high-level strategic discussions.
Through a series of dialogues across the country, the CDA Institute seeks to advance national understanding and policy coherence around Canada’s renewed defence commitments. We aim to foster the emergence of a well-informed and engaged community that recognizes the importance of discussing national defence and security issues.
This is a significant opportunity to participate in high-level discussions on how to ensure Canada’s national security, sovereignty, and future in a rapidly changing international security environment.
In Quebec City, we officially launched the National Security & Defence Dialogues.
In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Québec and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Greater Lévis, the inaugural session focused on the future of critical minerals and their strategic importance to Canada’s national defence, economic resilience, and sovereignty.
We extend our sincere appreciation to our distinguished panelists and moderator:
Mr. Daniel Jean, former National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada (2016–2018) and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (2013–2016)
Ms. Emmanuelle Toussaint, President & Director General, Québec Mining Association (AMQ)
Mr. Louis-César Pasquier, Associate Professor and Director, INRS Water, Earth and Environment Centre
Ms. Gaëlle Rivard Piché, Executive Director, Conference of Defence Associations Institute
We are grateful to all participants for an exceptionally insightful discussion. Your contributions helped advance our collective understanding of the strategic links between national security, economic competitiveness, and the energy transition.
On January 28, 2026, the CDA Institute hosted its second National Security & Defence Dialogue in Montreal, focused on economic security and national defence.
The discussion convened:
- David Vigneault, General Manager of the Global Intelligence Unit at Strider and former Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (2017-2024)
- Dr. Gaëlle Rivard Piché, Executive Director of the CDA Institute
- Dr. Philippe Bourbeau, Full Professor at HEC Montréal and Co-Director of the International Institute for Economic Diplomacy
Moderated by Antoine Dionne Charest, Advisor to the President at National.
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Contact Emmylou Sergent at emmylou@cdainstitute.ca for full details.
Is your community missing from this list? Let’s change that.
We are looking for partner associations, individual volunteers, and student ambassadors from coast to coast to assist in the setup of events in their communities. Become a volunteer today and bring a National Security Dialogues event to your city.
