The leaders' debates seem tailor-made for the Liberals and are skipping important topics like national defence

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As Canadians tune in to the leaders’ debates this week — in French on Wednesday and English on Thursday — they’ll hear about affordability, tariffs, immigration and even an entire segment on climate, an issue that no longer cracks the top five. But one subject is conspicuously absent from both stages: national defence.

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It’s a baffling omission. While the French debate will touch on identity and sovereignty, and the English debate includes a discussion on public safety, defence is at best buried beneath broader themes — and at worst, completely ignored. That’s unacceptable.

Canada is facing the most perilous global environment in our lifetimes. War continues to rage in Ukraine and Israel’s still battling Hamas. Tensions are rising in the Pacific as China flexes its military muscles. Add to that a belligerent U.S. president eyeing our Arctic — and seemingly our whole country — and the situation is stark. If Canada won’t take its own security seriously, no one else will.

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