Canada's Middle-Power Readiness Rated C+ Amidst Multipolar Authoritarianism, Requires Significant Investment
Canada's current middle-power readiness is assessed at a C+ grade, with a potential to improve to B/B+ by the early 2030s, provided it makes difficult choices and delivers projects on time. While Canada possesses key ingredients for a consequential middle power, such as energy resources, critical minerals, an educated population, and participation in major international forums like NATO and the G7, its present capabilities are lagging. The assessment highlights significant gaps in export infrastructure, industrial capacity, military readiness, and execution machinery. Specifically, Canada's energy grade is C due to a lack of Atlantic export infrastructure for LNG and eastbound gas transport, while its defense grade is C+ for fielded capability, despite a B- for intent, indicating that increased spending has yet to translate into fully operational forces.
