The "Canadianization of NATO" and our Fight to Host the World's Military Bank

19 snips

Feb 10, 2026

Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Mayor of Montreal and former MP, pitches Montreal's diplomacy and bilingual edge. Sam Witherspoon, CEO of Anvil, showcases battlefield visualization tech and funding hurdles. They discuss Canada chasing NATO’s new Defence, Security and Resilience Bank and what hosting it means for cities and defence startups. Short, sharp scenes on city competition and defence tech.

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INSIGHT

Defence As An Economic Strategy

Canada has shifted from defence-averse politics to treating hard power as an economic growth strategy under Mark Carney.
The DSRB represents a new era where defence spending is linked to industrial and financial policy.

ANECDOTE

Montreal's Pitch For The Bank

Soraya Martinez Ferrada describes Montreal actively campaigning to host the NATO-backed Defense, Security and Resilience Bank.
She frames Montreal's diplomatic capacity and European ties as core advantages in the race.

ANECDOTE

Halifax's Maritime Advantage

Andy Fillmore recounts Halifax's long military history and its existing defence ecosystem tied to the Navy.
He highlights proximity to bases and an existing NATO innovation accelerator as local strengths.

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NATO is building something new: a Defence, Security and Resilience Bank. Basically a World Bank for war, and Canada wants it.

From Toronto to Montreal to Ottawa to Halifax, mayors are campaigning hard, pitching their cities as the future headquarters of a global military finance hub. Thousands of high-paying jobs, direct access to defence capital and a front-row seat to the new security order are all at stake.

At the same time, Mark Carney is preparing to unveil his long-awaited Defence Industrial Strategy, a plan to pump billions into Canada’s military sector. After years of defence being politically taboo, hard power is suddenly a growth strategy.

So what does that actually mean for the companies building the tech? For the cities fighting to host the bank? And for a country that once prided itself on being defence-averse?

Host: Sam Konnert

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)

Guests: Sonya Shorey, Mayor Andy Fillmore, Maroy Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Rod Phillips, Councillor Brad Bradford and Sam Witherspoon

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