StFX to host Canadian Maritime Security Network 

Students at Sea
StFX PGOV and political science students aboard HMCS Harry DeWolf during the 2024 Students at Sea Event.

St. Francis Xavier University is pleased to announce the creation of the Canadian Maritime Security Network (CMSN). This three-year project is led by Dr. Adam Lajeunesse, a professor in the Public Policy and Governance Program, and funded by a $750,000 grant from the Canadian Department of National Defence’s MINDS program. 

This new network, hosted by StFX’s Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, is designed to bring together Canadian and international expertise on maritime defence, safety, and security. 

“This project builds on the university’s existing strength in security research to support the Government of Canada as it navigates great power competition, hybrid threats on the world’s oceans, and the enormous task of recapitalizing the Royal Canadian Navy,” says Dr. Lajeunesse, who currently holds a Fulbright Chair and whose research centres on issues of sovereignty and security in the Canadian North.

“This successful MINDS grant to establish the Canadian Maritime Security Network in the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at StFX is a fantastic development and a major achievement for Dr. Lajeunesse,” noted Dr. Richard Isnor, Interim Director of the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government and Associate Vice President, Research Graduate & Professional Studies. “This new network will tackle a timely and important set of national policy issues that are emerging priorities in Canada.”

This new initiative is being developed in partnership with the Centre for Military and Security Studies at the University of Calgary, and will draw in expertise from other academic institutions, industry, and think-tanks to provide creative solutions to a variety of critical security questions. 

Students with an interest in maritime and security studies will have the opportunity to work with the network and should reach out to Dr. Lajeunesse (@email) to explore these opportunities.