Let's start a national security dialogue.
About Us
The CDA Institute is Canada’s veteran-led defence & security think tank dedicated to fostering a facts-based, rational and experience-driven approach to defence and security policy.
Our purpose is to influence security and defence policy in Canada, educate the public through peer-reviewed research and analysis, and recognize leadership in the defence and security community.
In 1987, the CDA founded the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDA Institute), a non-partisan registered charity organization with the mission to advance informed debate on national security issues, particularly those that pertain to national defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. The CDA Institute serves as a forum for informed public debate on national security and defence policies, fostering an understanding of the importance of these policies to Canada’s security and prosperity.
Our Initiative
Through its National Security Dialogues, the CDA Institute is launching a series of public engagements across the country in 2025. The objective of these events is to bring together academics, policy makers, industry professionals, and other key stakeholders to deepen their understanding of Canada’s national defence and security.
We aim to foster a well informed and engaged community that recognizes the importance of discussing national defence and security issues. By fostering dialogue among diverse stakeholders, we seek to highlight the strategic significance of having a ready and well equipped Canadian Armed Forces to protect Canada’s national interests.
This is a meaningful opportunity to engage in high-level discussions about ensuring Canada’s national security, sovereignty, and future in a rapidly shifting international security environment. 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.
Becoming a Student Ambassador
Are you ready to shape the conversation on national security and defence in Canada? Student ambassadors are undergraduate students who work closely with the CDA Institute to organize on-campus events that spotlight diverse and critical topics in national security. From addressing emerging challenges like climate change’s impact on national and international security to exploring evolving challenges facing the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) such as recruitment, retention, and culture change, ambassadors play a vital role in fostering meaningful discussions on issues shaping Canada’s security landscape.
This is an invaluable opportunity for students passionate about Canadian defence and security from any university campus across Canada. Open to both Canadian students and international students enrolled in Canadian universities, it offers a unique chance to explore the intersection of national security with pressing issues such as environmental resilience and organizational change. Ambassadors will benefit from professional networking, conducting research, and embedding themselves in the defence and security community. They’ll also gain experience in shaping public discourse on topics critical to Canada’s future and develop event planning skills. Join us in making a real impact on Canada’s national security dialogue.
As a student ambassador, you are encouraged to:
- Host events relevant to national security on your campus. The CDA Institute will promote and feature these events on our website and social media. The format of these events can range from panel discussions and roundtables to research symposiums and movie/documentary viewings,
- Connect with diverse student groups and organizations and incorporate them into dialogue on campus about challenges and opportunities in national security, and
- Identify and work together with faculty members at your university who are thought leaders in and active contributors to the Canadian defence and security community.
Benefits of becoming a CDA Institute student ambassador:
- Receive funding support for the expenses of the on-campus events you organize,
- Be featured on the CDA Institute’s website and social media (an audience of nearly 15k total followers) as a student leader,
- Access the CDA Institute’s Annual Graduate Student Conference as a guest (for student ambassadors located in the national capital region),
- Get priority consideration for participation in the CDA Institute’s Mentorship Program, and
- Receive a recommendation letter from the CDA Institute’s Executive Director upon successful completion of your student ambassador term (one academic year).
Potential topics and themes for your events can include but are not limited to:
- Recruitment and Retention
- Procurement
- Gender in the DND/CAF
- Indo-Pacific Strategy
- Arctic Defence and Sovereignty NORAD
- Canada and the NATO
- Emerging Technologies
- Climate Change
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Veterans and Military Families
- Canada-China Relations
