Editor’s note: The Victoria Forum took place in Victoria, British Columbia, from August 22–25, 2026. During the panel “Defence and the Militarization of Democracies: The Military Turn in Canada,” Dr. Chris Kilford delivered a five-minute opening commentary addressing whether Canada has embarked on a path toward the militarization of its society.

Thank you for the opportunity to offer a few reflections this afternoon.

I think we can all agree that the international security environment has changed profoundly over the last few years. And with Washington’s call for NATO members to dedicate 5% of their GDP to defence spending by 2035, our government has become more focused on defence and security issues.

Of course, our leaders need to, because any government’s first responsibility is to protect its citizens from the threats we face today and the ones we may face tomorrow.

When it comes to threats, a question whenever defence spending is raised, is who are we actually defending ourselves against? It’s a reasonable question and one we have the luxury........

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