Frontier Centre for Public Policy
Report: Trudeau’s “post-national state” dividing Canadians and threatening the future

From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
Groundbreaking paper explores the forces molding Canada’s future
By David Redman
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy has released a groundbreaking paper titled Canada 2024: A Confident Resilient Nation or a Fearful Fractured Country? The paper was written by David Redman, an officer in the Canadian Army for 27 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. The paper delves deep into the shifting socio-political landscape of Canada, examining the dichotomy between confidence and fear shaping the nation’s future.
According to the paper, a successful nation is characterized by a unified populace sharing common values and defended borders. Until Canadians and their elected leaders align on the country’s national interests, the country will continue to lack unity, stumbling from one crisis to another. If the politicization of minor issues persists, attention will be diverted from critical national concerns.
Furthermore, Redman writes that the concept of a “post-national state” espoused by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is dangerous and misleading. The report emphasizes the importance of national governments in dealing with emergencies, reaffirming that nations must prioritize their own crises before relying on external aid.
Identifying Canadian national interests is just the initial step. The report advocates breaking down these interests into clear and attainable objectives, accompanied by measurable performance indicators. Policies should undergo public debate before finalization, ensuring alignment with national priorities and effective implementation strategies.
“Canada stands at a critical juncture after eight years of embracing “post-national” and “socialist” ideals,” Redman says. The nation has transitioned from a confident society with a thriving economy to one characterized by apologies and internal divisions. To secure its future, Canada must foster national pride among its citizens and prioritize the country’s interests over divisive wedge issues.
Redman concludes by urging Canadian teenagers to take pride in their nation and actively contribute to securing its future prosperity. “By working together towards a shared vision of a thriving Canada,” Redman says, “the promise of 1967 can be realized and sustained for generations to come.”
Click here to download the Report.
For more information:
Author
David Redman
[email protected]
David Leis
VP Development and Engagement
[email protected]
About David Redman
David Redman served as an officer in the Canadian Army for 27 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was posted 19 times to operations in Germany, Egypt, the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, the U.S., and across Canada. In 2000, he joined what is now the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (EMA). Following September 11, 2001, he led the development and implementation of the Alberta Crisis Management Counter-Terrorism Plan.
He became the head of EMA in 2004 and led the Alberta response to the devastating floods of June 2005. He also led the development of the 2005 Provincial Pandemic Influenza Plan. He retired from EMA in December 2005, continuing to work as an expert in Emergency Management provincially, nationally and internationally until 2013, when he fully retired.
Redman has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College in Kingston, Ontario, and the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto, Ontario.
About the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy is an independent, non-partisan think tank that conducts research and analysis on a wide range of public policy issues. Committed to promoting economic freedom, individual liberty, and responsible governance, the Centre aims to contribute to informed public debates and shape effective policies that benefit Canadians.
Business
Hudson’s Bay Bid Raises Red Flags Over Foreign Influence

From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
A billionaire’s retail ambition might also serve Beijing’s global influence strategy. Canada must look beyond the storefront
When B.C. billionaire Weihong Liu publicly declared interest in acquiring Hudson’s Bay stores, it wasn’t just a retail story—it was a signal flare in an era where foreign investment increasingly doubles as geopolitical strategy.
The Hudson’s Bay Company, founded in 1670, remains an enduring symbol of Canadian heritage. While its commercial relevance has waned in recent years, its brand is deeply etched into the national identity. That’s precisely why any potential acquisition, particularly by an investor with strong ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), deserves thoughtful, measured scrutiny.
Liu, a prominent figure in Vancouver’s Chinese-Canadian business community, announced her interest in acquiring several Hudson’s Bay stores on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (RedNote), expressing a desire to “make the Bay great again.” Though revitalizing a Canadian retail icon may seem commendable, the timing and context of this bid suggest a broader strategic positioning—one that aligns with the People’s Republic of China’s increasingly nuanced approach to economic diplomacy, especially in countries like Canada that sit at the crossroads of American and Chinese spheres of influence.
This fits a familiar pattern. In recent years, we’ve seen examples of Chinese corporate involvement in Canadian cultural and commercial institutions, such as Huawei’s past sponsorship of Hockey Night in Canada. Even as national security concerns were raised by allies and intelligence agencies, Huawei’s logo remained a visible presence during one of the country’s most cherished broadcasts. These engagements, though often framed as commercially justified, serve another purpose: to normalize Chinese brand and state-linked presence within the fabric of Canadian identity and daily life.
What we may be witnessing is part of a broader PRC strategy to deepen economic and cultural ties with Canada at a time when U.S.-China relations remain strained. As American tariffs on Canadian goods—particularly in aluminum, lumber and dairy—have tested cross-border loyalties, Beijing has positioned itself as an alternative economic partner. Investments into cultural and heritage-linked assets like Hudson’s Bay could be seen as a symbolic extension of this effort to draw Canada further into its orbit of influence, subtly decoupling the country from the gravitational pull of its traditional allies.
From my perspective, as a professional with experience in threat finance, economic subversion and political leveraging, this does not necessarily imply nefarious intent in each case. However, it does demand a conscious awareness of how soft power is exercised through commercial influence, particularly by state-aligned actors. As I continue my research in international business law, I see how investment vehicles, trade deals and brand acquisitions can function as instruments of foreign policy—tools for shaping narratives, building alliances and shifting influence over time.
Canada must neither overreact nor overlook these developments. Open markets and cultural exchange are vital to our prosperity and pluralism. But so too is the responsibility to preserve our sovereignty—not only in the physical sense, but in the cultural and institutional dimensions that shape our national identity.
Strategic investment review processes, cultural asset protections and greater transparency around foreign corporate ownership can help strike this balance. We should be cautious not to allow historically Canadian institutions to become conduits, however unintentionally, for geopolitical leverage.
In a world where power is increasingly exercised through influence rather than force, safeguarding our heritage means understanding who is buying—and why.
Scott McGregor is the managing partner and CEO of Close Hold Intelligence Consulting.
Business
Canada Urgently Needs A Watchdog For Government Waste

From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
By Ian Madsen
From overstaffed departments to subsidy giveaways, Canadians are paying a high price for government excess
Not all the Trump administration’s policies are dubious. One is very good, in theory at least: the Department of Government Efficiency. While that term could be an oxymoron, like ‘political wisdom,’ if DOGE is useful, so may be a Canadian version.
DOGE aims to identify wasteful, duplicative, unnecessary or destructive government programs and replace outdated data systems. It also seeks to lower overall costs and ensure mechanisms are in place to evaluate proposed programs for effectiveness and value for money. This can, and usually does, involve eliminating some departments and, eventually, thousands of jobs. Some new roles within DOGE may need to become permanent.
The goal in the U.S. is to lower annual operating costs and ensure that the growth in government spending is lower than in revenues. Washington’s spending has exploded in recent years. The U.S. federal deficit exceeds six per cent of gross domestic product. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, annual debt service cost is escalating unsustainably.
Canada’s latest budget deficit of $61.9 billion in fiscal 2023–24 is about two per cent of GDP, which seems minor compared to our neighbour. However, it adds to the federal debt of $1.236 trillion, about 41 per cent of our approximate $3 trillion GDP. Ottawa’s public accounts show that expenses are 17.8 per cent of GDP, up from about 14 per cent just eight years ago. Interest on the escalating debt were 10.2 per cent of revenues in the most recent fiscal year, up from just five per cent a mere two years ago.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) continually identifies dubious or frivolous spending and outright waste or extravagance: “$30 billion in subsidies to multinational corporations like Honda, Volkswagen, Stellantis and Northvolt. Federal corporate subsidies totalled $11.2 billion in 2022 alone. Shutting down the federal government’s seven regional development agencies would save taxpayers an estimated $1.5 billion annually.”
The CTF also noted that Ottawa hired 108,000 more staff in the past eight years at an average annual cost of over $125,000. Hiring in line with population growth would have added only 35,500, saving about $9 billion annually. The scale of waste is staggering. Canada Post, the CBC and Via Rail lose, in total, over $5 billion a year. For reference, $1 billion would buy Toyota RAV4s for over 25,600 families.
Ottawa also duplicates provincial government functions, intruding on their constitutional authority. Shifting those programs to the provinces, in health, education, environment and welfare, could save many more billions of dollars per year. Bad infrastructure decisions lead to failures such as the $33.4 billion squandered on what should have been a relatively inexpensive expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline—a case where hiring better staff could have saved money. Terrible federal IT systems, exemplified by the $4 billion Phoenix payroll horror, are another failure. The Green Slush Fund misallocated nearly $900 million.
Ominously, the fast-growing Old Age Supplement and Guaranteed Income Security programs are unfunded, unlike the Canada Pension Plan. Their costs are already roughly equal to the deficit and could become unsustainable.
Canada is sleepwalking toward financial perdition. A Canadian version of DOGE—Canada Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Team, or CAETT—is vital. The Auditor General Office admirably identifies waste and bad performance, but is not proactive, nor does it have enforcement powers. There is currently no mechanism to evaluate or end unnecessary programs to ensure Canadians will have a prosperous and secure future. CAETT could fill that role.
Ian Madsen is the Senior Policy Analyst at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
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