Canada’s Next Chapter
At the dawn of 2026, amid the snow-covered peaks of Davos, where the world’s elite convene each year, a rallying call reverberated through the Swiss Alps from a country more readily associated with consensus than conviction. It was Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney who plainly named the mokita at the heart of global politics: With the rules-based international order fracturing and the world entering “a state of rupture,” middle powers can no longer afford to retreat into the shadows.
“When you share a border with the G1, you’re inextricably linked. When Canadians realized that U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘51st state’ comments should not be taken lightly, it crystallized the need to take control of our own destiny, and the election of Prime Minister Carney reinforced that view,” explains Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada.
This awakening didn’t occur in a vacuum. Tariffs and trade threats from Canada’s increasingly capricious southern neighbor exposed the fragility of old certainties underpinning the relationship with its longest-standing trading partner. With economic integration wielded as an instrument of coercion, the nation has been jolted out of what Damian Lamb, co-founder and managing director of Genesys Capital, calls “a state of complacency,” adding, “There’s now a national sense that we need to do more on our own and be masters of our own destiny.”
As superpower competition intensifies and sovereignty becomes paramount, few countries are better endowed than Canada. Rich in natural resources and critical minerals and home to world-class researchers and innovators, the country possesses many of the strategic assets now most fiercely sought in a fractured and competitive age. As Carney declared, “Canada has what the world wants.”
“This isn’t simply about the Trump administration being antagonistic toward Canada; it’s about geopolitics getting toothier and the fact that we need hard power. Canada is often thought of as a soft-power giant, but that overlooks our history of developing hard power in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s,” says Eliot Pence, founder and CEO of Dominion Dynamics.
Equally compelling are the values with which Brand Canada has become synonymous: safety, stability, openness, inclusion and reliability. More often regarded as a dependable partner than a geopolitical heavyweight, the country has cultivated a reputation for cooperation over confrontation. Yet some argue that the very qualities that earned Canada its relatively pristine reputation have also inadvertently fostered a culture of risk aversion that rewards steady progress and prudence over speed and scale.
“We are too timid about excellence, often regressing to the mean and spreading the peanut butter evenly across institutions. That is not how you win, and it is not what China, India, the U.S., or advanced Scandinavian economies are doing,” says Dr. Kevin Smith, president and CEO of University Health Network.
We spoke to 65 CEOs and ministers across life sciences, critical minerals, tourism, defense, energy and technology to explore the central question now facing Canada. Can a country blessed with enviable assets and admired for its character summon the boldness needed to convert its potential into global influence?
“This is an opportunity to redefine who we want to be as a country. In that redefinition, we shouldn’t just be an energy superpower—we should be an intellectual superpower as well.” – Tamer Mohamed, Founder & CEO, Aspect Biosystems
“If we choose wisely, 20 years from now, we could have global companies—curing cancer, building new energy sources, high-tech, deep-tech businesses that move the country forward.” – Carl Hansen, Founding CEO, AbCellera
“This is a brand-new world. Today, Canada is looking at how to diversify trade and use its coastal assets to strengthen both Atlantic and Pacific connections while continuing significant north-south trade.” – Craig Bell Estabrooks, President & CEO, Port Saint John
“Success, to me, is very tangible. Five to ten years from now, it means Canada is building again—and has been for years. It means more mines producing, more energy reaching our allies, and the major projects we have set in motion coming online, on time and on track.” – Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada
“We are seeing growing interest from Europe, with some funds preferring to allocate North American capital into Canada rather than the U.S. There has always been interest, but now there is more impetus to act on it and diversify.” – Mackenzie Regent, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Kalos LLP
Click here to download the full report
This report has been paid for by a third party. The views and opinions expressed are not those of Newsweek and are not an endorsement of the products, services or persons mentioned.
