🇨🇦 Canada finally wakes up to drone threats — years late, legally confused, operationally timid

The military is quietly deploying counter-drone systems at ports and air bases after watching Ukraine gut Russian naval and air assets with cheap UAVs. Vice-Admiral Topshee admits they can take things out of the sky, but only after coordinating with Transport Canada and the RCMP. Translation: our bases are sitting ducks wrapped in red tape. Russia lost submarines and strategic bombers to drones launched from within its own borders. Ukraine proved that grey-zone warfare doesn't need stealth bombers — just swarms and will. Meanwhile, Canada is still negotiating with bureaucrats about regulatory challenges in urban centres.

This is what hollowed-out sovereignty looks like. We spent decades gutting defence budgets, outsourcing strategy to Washington, and trusting that oceans keep us safe. Now we're scrambling to protect F-35s we haven't even received yet, using systems DND refuses to name or explain. If a hostile actor wanted to probe our defences, they already know we're paralyzed by process.

🍁 Maple Chronicles