Mark Carney has pledged to spend billions to upgrade Canada's defences, but unless Canada changes how it treats intellectual property, we’ll spend that money building technologies we don’t control, warn Jim Hinton and Alexis Conrad. Photo by Cole Burston / Getty Images

By Jim Hinton and Alexis Conrad

We keep talking about sovereignty like it’s 1965. Flags, borders, boots on the ground. But in 2025, national power is built on source code, algorithms, patents and digital infrastructure. Canada is giving those away faster than we can build them.

As Prime Minister Mark Carney tries to secure a trade deal with Donald Trump , the stakes are clear. These talks aren’t just about commodities and contracts. They’re about leverage. And if Canada doesn’t control its own innovation, we don’t

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