Creative Insecurity: Can Trump’s Trade Threats Jolt Canada Into Action?

For decades, Canada’s innovation policy has been shaped more by comfort than urgency. Geographic proximity to the United States, economic stability, and abundant natural resources have fostered a sense of security—one that may have dulled the edge of national ambition. But with Donald Trump threatening annexation, reviving trade war rhetoric not heard in generations, and upending long-standing assumptions about North American cooperation, Canada now faces an uncomfortable question: Has our sense of security become a liability?

Mark Zachary Taylor’s concept of “creative insecurity” argues that existential threats have driven countries like South Korea, Israel, and Finland to innovate as a means of survival and strategic relevance. Could Canada’s shifting geopolitical circumstances finally push it to adopt a bolder, more strategic approach to industrial policy and competitiveness?

Watch now for a virtual panel discussion from ITIF’s Centre for Canadian Innovation and Competitiveness. The webinar featured top experts as they explored whether growing external pressures might serve as a catalyst for renewed policy ambition in Canada’s innovation ecosystem.