On Defence and Security

Alberta and separation, it’s not the first time we hear about it, so why does it matter now? Our host Amarnath Amarasingam sits down with Amy Mack (University of Lethbridge) and Robert Currie (Dalhousie University) to discuss today’s topic, as they check the temperature in the room whether Alberta really does want to separate, and what it would mean for Canada?
Amy Mack is Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Digital Extremism and Assistant Professor in New Media at the University of Lethbridge.
Robert Currie is a specialist in the area of international and transnational criminal law, and he teaches a seminar course in this subject. His 2010 book, International and Transnational Criminal Law, was shortlisted for the Walter Owen Book Prize for Outstanding Legal Literature in 2011 and the fourth edition will be published in 2026. He has authored and co-authored numerous articles and comments in this field and his work is regularly cited by Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.
Robert's article: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/alberta-separation-illegal/
Project mentioned: https://www.commongroundpolitics.ca/focus-groups
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CIDP Director and host of today's episode Michael Murphy is joined by Anessa Kimball, Professor of political science in international relations at Université Laval. They sit down to discuss Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy through its new budgetary pledge of 5% total defence spending, the challenges it faces, and if it's even possible to achieve.
Anessa L. Kimball (prof/they/iel) is a professor of political science in international relations at Université Laval, Québec, Canada, where they have been on faculty for nearly two decades. Since 2019, Kimball has directed the Canadian Defence and Security Network, a federally funded partnership research network. Their research combines rational institutional design and collective action approaches with different statistical methods and machine-coded (interview and international agreement) content analysis to examine how states resolve strategic problems (distribution, commitment, uncertainty) through the design of informal defence and security arrangements alongside NATO and issues of defence burden sharing, procurement, and international cooperation.
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US Army War College Visiting Defence Fellow and host of today's episode LTC Nicholas Currie is joined by today's guest MGen Chris McKenna (Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division). They will discuss joint operations in Canada and abroad, defending the homeland, and defence modernization. Major-General (MGen) McKenna joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994, initially as an Army Reservist, and then attended the Royal Military College of Canada receiving his degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering in 1999. He also holds a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada (2013). MGen McKenna earned his RCAF Pilot wings in 2002 and served as a Rotary Wing Tactical Aviation and Special Operations Aviation pilot in the RCAF. He has commanded at the Flight, Squadron, Wing, and Task Force level and has served in a variety of command and staff positions including postings in CANSOFCOM units, RCAF HQ and in the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) HQ.
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Host Michael P.A. Murphy is joined by our guest Philippe Lagassé, Associate Professor, Barton Chair in International Affairs, Carleton University. Phillipe is co-editor of the CFPJ.
Canadian Foreign Policy Journal ( CFPJ ) is a fully peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal published three times a year by the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada. Established in 1992, CFPJ is now one of Canada’s leading journal of international affairs.
Canadian Foreign Policy Journal: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rcfp20
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Host Michael P.A. Murphy is joined by our guest Ori Swed, Associate Professor, Texas Tech University. Ori is Editor-in-Chief of the Armed Forces & Society Journal.
Armed Forces & Society: an interdisciplinary journal publishes articles quarterly on civil-military relations, veterans, force effectiveness and diversity, military culture, officer education and training, military institutions, ethics, unit cohesion, military families, peacemaking, privatization, public opinion, and conflict management. The journal is international in scope with a focus on interdisciplinary and policy discourse. The editors and contributors include political scientists, sociologists, psychologists, legal scholars, historians, and economists, as well as specialists in military organization and strategy, and peacekeeping.
Armed Forces & Society Journal: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/AFS
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