The TYEE: Canada Needs a New Civil Defence Corps

Canada once had a civil defence program. During the Cold War, we built fallout shelters, trained civilians in emergency response and ensured our critical infrastructure could endure a nuclear strike. Today, we face a different but no less serious threat — cyberwarfare, disinformation, economic destabilization and geopolitical conflict over the Arctic. Just as Canada prepared for nuclear fallout in the 1960s, we must prepare for the crises ahead.

What would Canadians actually do?

A modern civil defence program is fundamentally about national participation — mobilizing the talents and capabilities of an entire population. In Sweden and Finland, civil defence is built around training, community preparedness and personal responsibility. Every adult is expected to have the knowledge and basic skills to help in an emergency — whether that’s first aid, defending critical infrastructure or organizing local response teams.