Net Zero and Defence Readiness Project

Supported by the Department of National Defence’s MINDS programme, the project examines how Canada’s net-zero transition can contribute to defence readiness, industrial sovereignty, and long-term strategic resilience. 

As Canada undertakes a major defence recapitalization effort and implements its Defence Industrial Strategy, today’s procurement decisions will shape whether the Canadian Armed Forces are equipped to operate effectively in a future defined by climate change, energy volatility, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical competition. 

Through expert roundtables, podcast episodes, and policy commentarythe initiative explores how climate, energy, and industrial policy objectives can be aligned with defence priorities to ensure that capabilities developed today remain relevant to future operational demands. 

Analysis

Two-part virtual roundtable series: 

Roundtable 1: The Strategic Case for Strengthening Canada’s Defence Through Net-Zero Investments, July 7, 2026, 10:00–11:20 EST. 

This discussion examined the strategic and security rationale for considering energy transition–related investments as part of defence planning and assessed how energy systems intersect with operational resilience, logistics vulnerability, force sustainment, and the broader security implications of energy dependence, including emerging risks linked to strategic competition and infrastructure exposure.

Roundtable 2: Building Net Zero Defence Capability at Scale: Procurement and Industrial Pathways, July 15, 2026, 10:00–11:20 EST.  

This session focused on how Canada can translate strategic defence and sustainability objectives into practice through defence investments, procurement reform, and defence industrial policy. It also examined how these frameworks can be operationalized to enable effective collaboration between government, industry, and innovation actors while accelerating clean technology development, strengthening domestic supply chains, reducing technological risk, and developing dual-use capabilities that serve both defence requirements and net-zero objectives. 

Supported by the Department of National Defence’s MINDS programme

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