Defending Canada in an Age of Contactless War

In modern AI-driven warfare, the battlefield isn't just overseas — it's in our feeds, our institutions, and our trust in one another. The nature of the threat means we can't leave it up to professional organizations like the security and intelligence community to mitigate and deal with the threat. Civilian resiliency is critical to withstanding this threat environment.In this episode, host Heather Bakken sits down with hybrid warfare expert Dr. Christian Leuprecht (Royal Military College, Queen's University) and Jennifer Irish (Pendulum Geopolitical Strategic Advisory Principal and lead of the Information Integrity practice) to unpack the threats targeting Canadian communities and explore:Civilian resilience and the capacity of individuals and communities to anticipate, withstand, and recover from disruption and manipulationCivic resilience in our media, civil society, and democratic institutions, built from the local level upSocietal resilience as a pan-Canadian effort to fortify our institutions and mend the divisions our adversaries seek to exploit. Local communities are being targeted. The response must engage the private sector, civil society, and community organizations.Drawing on lessons from Finland, the Baltics, and Australia, one conclusion stands out: the best defence against adversaries who weaponize our divisions is investing in what brings us together. Because all security is local — and resilience starts with every Canadian.