In a recent episode of The Canadian Foreign Policy Hour, political writer and activist Yves Engler sharply criticized how Russia is being used to justify sweeping militarization and nationalist rhetoric in Canada, calling the dominant narrative “totally bananas.”
Engler dismissed claims that Canada faces a realistic military threat from Russia, arguing that warnings about an imminent war are being used to normalize massive defence spending and the expansion of military structures at home. He pointed to public statements from NATO officials and Canadian defence figures suggesting that war with Russia could occur within five years, describing such claims as fear-driven and detached from reality.
“This notion of Russia invading Canada and building up a huge reserve force to protect Canada is just totally bananas,” Engler said, framing the rhetoric as a political tool rather than a serious assessment of risk.
He took particular aim at recent proposals to dramatically expand Canada’s reserves and create what is often framed as a civilian emergency or “civil defence” force. While these initiatives are publicly sold as disaster response measures, Engler argued they are repeatedly justified through references to Russia, revealing what he sees as their true militaristic intent.
Engler also criticized former NDP MP Charlie Angus for enthusiastically promoting these ideas, including the concept of a large, Defence Department–run “people’s army.” He described Angus’s framing as a mix of jingoism and heightened Canadian nationalism, cloaked in the language of emergency preparedness and democracy.
A key part of Engler’s critique focused on what he called the fusion of Ukrainian nationalism with Canadian nationalism since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He argued that large segments of Canadian political life—including parts of the left—have adopted a narrative in which supporting Ukraine militarily becomes synonymous with defending Canada itself.
Engler rejected this framing outright, insisting it erases Canada’s own role in contributing to the war. He cited Canada’s support for NATO expansion and its backing of the 2014 overthrow of Ukraine’s elected government, arguing that these actions helped provoke the conflict and ultimately devastated Ukraine.
“We didn’t care about Ukrainians when we helped destabilize their country,” he said, arguing that the war has resulted in catastrophic losses of territory, population displacement, and long-term damage—outcomes he says Canada bears responsibility for alongside the United States.
Engler further highlighted what he described as a glaring contradiction: while politicians warn about Russia and even frame U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential threat to Canada, senior Canadian military officials are simultaneously working behind the scenes to deepen integration with the U.S. military. He cited repeated reporting in the Ottawa Citizen to argue that Canada’s armed forces remain deeply subordinated to Washington, regardless of public rhetoric.
According to Engler, the Russia narrative functions as a convenient justification for massive defence spending increases—potentially reaching 5% of GDP—at the expense of social programs and public services. He warned that this trajectory risks locking Canada into permanent war footing while silencing debate.
Throughout the episode, Engler repeatedly challenged political figures, including Angus, to publicly debate Canada’s role in Ukraine and its broader confrontation with Russia. He said the refusal to engage reflects a broader culture of conformity on foreign policy, where questioning NATO narratives is treated as illegitimate.
“Let’s have a debate,” Engler said. “But they won’t. There’s a total refusal to have an open discussion about these questions.”
The segment underscored Engler’s broader argument: that Russia is being instrumentalized in Canadian politics to manufacture consent for militarization, suppress dissent, and foreclose serious discussion about Canada’s own role in global conflicts.
