Canada's instruments of national power suffer from crippling human resources vulnerabilities

Abstract

Canada faces an increasingly difficult international environment. The to-do list is extensive: decades of neglect and underinvestment mean that every instrument of national power - diplomacy, defence, development, intelligence, national security, law enforcement - all suffer from chronic under-investment. Perhaps most strikingly, Canada has also not produced a comprehensive national security policy since 2004. These vulnerabilities are being increasingly discussed publicly. There is, however, one persistent problem that underlies these vulnerabilities and systematically fails to receive the attention it deserves, both in public debates and inside government: human resources.