Introduction to The National Interest

You are receiving this newsletter because you expressed interest in receiving updates from the Canadian Shield Institute — a new non-partisan, independent policy institute led by me, Vass Bednar.

We’ve been in semi-stealth mode this summer, building a small team and studying the country. But you can expect to start hearing a lot more from us. We are gearing up to begin presenting policy ideas and observations that we hope will steer the country’s leadership towards reinforcing a sovereign, self-reliant and prosperous Canadian economy.

Trump’s trade war has revealed that too much of the infrastructure our economy relies on is owned or steered elsewhere. Shield’s starting point is simple: we either own, shape and govern the critical systems that underpin daily life or we get ruled by them. That’s what we call operational sovereignty.

Through this newsletter, The National Interest, we’ll share snack-sized insights that complement our solutions-oriented research. Rebuilding sovereignty is about so much more than just buying Canadian — it’s about stewardship over the systems that make the country work and the choices that those in control of it make.

Here’s what to expect:

Sovereignty Scorecards: We’ll assess major government policy decisions through a competition lens, breaking down what they mean for sovereignty and economic transformation. We call it the ‘SHIELD Score.’

How Canada Works: We’ll demystify how the country runs, show where our policies and infrastructures are vulnerable, and outline how to fix them.

Deeper Policy Dives: Count on us to dig into the nitty-gritty and make policy opportunities tangible.

Charts: We’re also data junkies. Get ready for Shield to start jumping on the latest Statistics Canada (and other) data, and breaking down what the economy is reflecting and what to watch for.

From time to time, we’ll share interviews with captivating Canadians to help make sense of the moment. When we have something to say, we’ll say it. If we don’t, we won’t.

Shield is serious about rebuilding economic sovereignty for Canada. Our goal is to provide the tools, stories and analyses that make sense of the opportunities the country currently has and clearly frame what’s at stake.

It’s all in The National Interest. (Get it?)

Let’s get to work,

Vass

Managing Director, Shield
Let’s connect on LinkedIn

NB. Below is a song from Nate the the Busy Boys, a rock band from Fredericton, New Brunswick. We’ll also be sharing new-ish Canadian music as a way to support discovery outside of algorithms. Send us songs!

A quick note on this platform 

Cyberimpact is a prime illustration of sovereign infrastructure because it ensures full control over critical digital operations within Canada: data is hosted on Canadian servers, governed by Canadian privacy and anti-spam laws (such as CASL and Quebec’s Law 25) and avoids reliance on foreign providers.

This architecture not only enhances regulatory compliance and trust but also reduces risks tied to cross-border data exposure and foreign jurisdictions. In essence, Cyberimpact’s model embodies digital sovereignty by combining operational autonomy, legal alignment, and domestic data stewardship.