June 2025 | Vincent Rigby, alongside other senior experts, co-authored a white paper analyzing the Canada-EU Security and Defence Partnership. While the agreement aims to reduce reliance on U.S. defence suppliers and expand access to the European market, the report warns that its success is far from guaranteed. Rigby and his co-authors highlight major fiscal and political barriers, including Canada鈥檚 underinvestment in defence, EU divisions over spending targets, and implementation hurdles in aligning procurement and supply chains.
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Published on: 10 Jul 2025
July 9, 2025 |聽Vincent Rigby, along with retired vice-admiral Mark Norman, former deputy trade minister Tim Sargent, former defence minister Perrin Beatty, and professor Fen Hampson, wrote a report highlighted in The Globe and Mail that raises concerns about Canada鈥檚 new Security and Defence Partnership with the European Union. The pact, signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, aims to reduce Canada鈥檚 reliance on U.S. military contractors and boost the Canadian defence industry by tapping into the EU鈥檚 growing defence market.
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Published on: 10 Jul 2025
June 23, 2025 | Vincent Rigby聽 joined the CDA Institute鈥檚 Expert Series alongside former Canadian Ambassador to NATO Kerry聽Buck and former NATO Assistant Secretary General Wendy Gilmour to unpack what鈥檚 at stake as leaders gather in The Hague for the 76th NATO Summit.聽The conversation focused on Canada鈥檚 recent pledge to meet NATO鈥檚 long-standing 2% GDP defence spending target by March 2026, as well as the summit鈥檚 broader agenda鈥攅xpected to include raising the defence spending floor to 3.5%, enhancing alliance readiness, and addressing industrial capacity shortfalls.
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Published on: 26 Jun 2025
June 23, 2025 |聽Professor聽Vincent Rigby, a former NSIA to the Prime Minister, along with聽Kerry Buck, a former Canadian Ambassador to NATO and Former Assistant Secretary General, Defence Investment, Wendy Gilmour joined the CDA Institute聽 to discuss the key issues, challenges, and likely outcomes of this year鈥檚 Summit for Canada and the Alliance in this podcast.
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Published on: 25 Jun 2025
June 17, 2025 | Professor聽Vincent Rigby, a former Global Affairs Canada and Department of National Defence government official, contended at how Canada must not step away from the U.S. completely regarding trade, economics,聽defense, and聽security, despite 鈥渄iversification strategies鈥� because of Trump. 鈥淚 mean, we share a continent...we are indivisible in that respect, and so it makes sense for Canada to still work closely with the United States on defense and security issues,鈥� said Rigby.
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Published on: 19 Jun 2025
June 14, 2025 | Vincent Rigby, quoted in The聽Globe and Mail,聽sees Carney鈥檚 foreign policy as a clear break from traditional diplomacy rooted in values. He argues that Canada is embracing a more pragmatic, hard-headed approach in response to global volatility. While diversification of defence partnerships鈥攕uch as working with European suppliers鈥攊s on the table, Rigby stresses that close coordination with the U.S. remains essential.
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Published on: 17 Jun 2025
June 9, 2025 | Vincent Rigby was quoted in the National Post in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 announcement that Canada will meet NATO鈥檚 2% defence spending target this fiscal year, adding over $9 billion. Rigby, who previously served as national security and intelligence adviser, called the move a significant and welcome shift from earlier governments, emphasizing that it shows Canada is taking its defence commitments seriously. He noted that this is not just about supporting allies鈥攊t鈥檚 also about protecting Canadian interests and values.
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Published on: 12 Jun 2025
June 9, 2025 | In an interview for the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute鈥檚 Expert Series, Vincent Rigby reacts to Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 announcement that Canada will accelerate defence spending to reach 2% of GDP by the end of the 2025鈥�26 fiscal year. Rigby unpacks the hurdles ahead鈥攊ncluding the recruitment and retention crisis, slow procurement processes, and the complexity of aligning new investments with operational readiness.
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Published on: 12 Jun 2025
May 12, 2025 | Vincent Rigby, Slater Family Professor of Practice,聽alongside Stephanie Carvin and Thomas Juneau, wrote an opinion piece in The Globe and Mail urging the creation of a Canadian foreign human intelligence service. They argue that while Canada already collects intelligence through agencies like CSIS and the Canadian Armed Forces, the country needs a dedicated service to enhance its strategic autonomy and strengthen national security.
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Published on: 12 May 2025
April 23, 2025 | For the聽Conference of Defence Associations Institute's Expert Series, Vincent Rigby compares the two major party platforms on defence and security issues, highlighting three crucial areas from both aspects of the Liberal and Conservative platforms: the commitment to 2% defence spending, sovereignty, and Canada鈥檚 foreign policy.
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Published on: 1 May 2025
April 3, 2025 | Professor聽Vincent Rigby聽and聽Norman Hillmer, wrote about the lack of strategic approach of Canada to world affairs and how it has been slow to react to rapidly changing threats.
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Published on: 3 Apr 2025
March 20, 2025 | Professor聽Vincent Rigby spoke on聽the end of arctic exceptionalism on a of Center for Strategic &聽International Studies. Climate change and the reduction in sea ice is opening new shipping routes, and making it easier to tap the arctic鈥檚 natural resource wealth, especially critical minerals.
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Published on: 25 Mar 2025
February 18, 2025 | Professor聽Vincent Rigby聽discussed the final report from the Public Inquiry into Canadian Foreign Interference, led by Justice Marie-Jos茅e Hogue, released in late January after nearly 18 months of investigation. The report concluded that while foreign interference did undermine public confidence in Canadian democracy and affected the electoral ecosystem, it did not compromise the integrity of the 2019 or 2021 elections.
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Published on: 18 Feb 2025
February 5, 2025 |聽Professor Vincent Rigby, Paul Wells, and Philippe Lagass茅 joined a to discuss the launch of the latest edition of聽
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Published on: 17 Feb 2025
January 29, 2025 | Professor Vincent Rigby and Eugene Lang spoke about Canada's defence and over the past decade, noting that the government has struggled to keep up with significant global changes. Together, they discuss how geopolitical tensions, particularly with China, Russia, and the United States, have evolved rapidly and Canada's response has been slow.
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Published on: 30 Jan 2025
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