Montreal Institute for Global Security (MIGS)

Wow Wow Wow.. A compelling final session on cognitive warfare and the changing character of security from digital networks to analogue effects cultivated through technology. The central takeaway: we are confronting 21st-century threats with institutions largely designed for the 20th century. Technology enables terrorist groups, organized crime networks and states to shape perception, manipulate trust, recruit, finance and coordinate across borders. But the effects are increasingly analogue: polarization, intimidation, social fragmentation, disrupted institutions and violence in the physical world. Cognitive warfare operates across this digital-to-analogue continuum, using technology to influence how people think, what they believe and how they act—while exploiting criminal proxies, disinformation, encrypted platforms and commercially available data to obscure responsibility. Resilience is essential—but resilience without credible deterrence, intelligence-sharing and law-enforcement cooperation is insufficient. Canada and its allies need to rethink what “defence” means: protecting minds, institutions, data, digital infrastructure and critical systems must increasingly sit alongside counterterrorism, organized crime enforcement and conventional military capability. We also need your think about a global alliance on intelligence where shared knowledge, technology and defence of a free workd are priority number 1! “A scarey but important wake-up call to a world that has remained complacent to the threat nexus we now live in!” DB @MIGSinstitute @csiscanada @scoopercooper

At the Montreal International Security Summit, @MIGSInstitute once again showed why convening matters — bringing Canadian and European voices together around the hard questions of deterrence, Ukraine, defence production and the future of the transatlantic alliance. Two notable quotes from today’s discussion stayed with me: “Capabilities matter more than declarations.” And, on rebuilding our defence industrial base: “Sovereignty is not about filling warehouses. It is about having the capacity to manufacture, adapt and scale.” That is the challenge facing Canada and Europe: move faster, build together, learn from Ukraine and turn political commitments into real capability. Excellent work by MIGS in putting these conversations together and the people who can act on them all in the same room. Democratic freedom is what we aim to preserve. @kylecmatthews @TaiwanInCanada @Canada @CanadaDefence @BalkanDevlen @borealissaves @scoopercooper

It was an Excellent morning at @MIGSInstitute Conference here in Montreal. The focus is on Canada and its allies and what must done to rebuild credible deterrence in a far more dangerous world. The message across the panels was remarkably consistent: capabilities matter more than declarations. - Learn from Ukraine. Speed up procurement. - Build sovereign manufacturing where it matters. Partner with trusted allies where scale demands it. - Secure critical supply chains. And stop confusing innovation with capability unless it can be produced, adapted and fielded at speed. One line captured it well: “Build, Partner, Buy” should be a firing order. MIGS is doing important work facilitating government, military, industry, policy and allied voices into the same room. This is exactly the kind of conversation Canada needs more of. @GAC_Corporate

An important discussion at the Montréal International Security Summit on AI, Middle Powers and Geopolitical Uncertainty. @MIGSinstitute My takeaway: Canada cannot match the United States or China in scale, but that does not make us irrelevant. Middle powers can still shape the rules through verification, trusted institutions, critical-mineral and energy leverage, defence capacity, and coalition-building. The strongest point from the panel was that verification alone is not enough. Any future AI agreement will also require credible consequences for non-compliance—and the political will to enforce them. Canada’s influence will ultimately depend on what capabilities we bring to the table, not simply on our values or our desire to be included. The time to build those capabilities is before the crisis, not after it. “The Now... We are at the low point on AI scale. It will be exponential from here.”

Raymond Chretian speaking to “Neighbours at a Crossroads - Canada U.S. Relations. Two lines from today’s discussion at @MIGSInstitute captured the challenge facing Canada: “We can’t match American power, but we can be smarter negotiators.” And, more starkly: “They are still our allies. They are no longer our friends.” Canada’s answer cannot be retreat. It has to be sovereignty through preparation, targeted leverage, stronger domestic capability, diversification — and a clear-eyed understanding that the U.S. will remain our indispensable economic and security partnerno matter what. My take on the former Ambassador’s informative session is that perhaps underestimates the struggle in front of us if we can’t get a long-term trade and continental security agreement quickly. But for the record they are still n our friends and many of us have family members there as well and we can see beyond tomorrow.