Is Canada Building The Wrong Army?

On this episode host Mike Wixson sits down with TPL’s in-house defence and military correspondent Brian Isted for a wide-ranging, unfiltered conversation about the state of Canada’s armed forces — and why many experts believe we’re dangerously unprepared for modern conflict.

Using the article “Canada Is Building the Wrong Army” as a jumping-off point, Mike and Brian dig into hard truths about Canada’s military readiness: gaps in leadership, procurement failures, recruitment breakdowns, neglected infrastructure, and an overreliance on allies like the U.S. and NORAD to defend our vast northern sovereignty. While praising the elite training and effectiveness of Canadian infantry and special operations forces, Brian argues that poor leadership, misplaced priorities, and bureaucratic inertia are hollowing out the institution from the top down.

The conversation also tackles uncomfortable questions about defence spending, Ukraine aid versus domestic readiness, military housing scandals, recruitment attrition, and whether Canada needs a complete military reset — potentially rebuilding around advanced technology, cyber warfare, and modern battlefields rather than outdated assumptions about war.

This is a candid, no-nonsense discussion about national security, accountability, and what it will take to make Canada defence-ready in an increasingly unstable world.