The University of Waterloo’s Militarist Shift: A Broad Overview

Editor’s Note: This article is a thought-provoking piece. Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect opinions of The Iron Warrior or of the Engineering Society.

The University of Waterloo, along with the Kitchener-Waterloo Region, is rapidly militarizing. This is as the Federal government hurries towards spending 5% of GDP on ‘defence’ by 2035, as part of the Canadian Defence Industrial Strategy (CDIS) and NATO’s Defence Investment Pledge [1]. This means increasing defence spending by over $100 billion dollars yearly between 2026 and 2035! (For reference, it is expected that a Toronto-Quebec City high-speed rail line would cost $60 to $ 90 billion [2]. By the same token,  the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated in 2024 that chronic homelessness could be reduced by 50% with an annual investment of approximately $4 billion annually [3].) Importantly, one of CDIS’ aims is “…to better connect universities and colleges to defence priorities”, and the University of Waterloo is positioning itself to be the prime recipient of funding for R&D projects concerning military & weapons technology [4].

The University of Waterloo (UW) is lobbying the Federal government primarily using two vehicles: the Canadian AI Adoption Initiative (CAIAI), and the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC). Through the former, UW has been pushing the Federal government to invest in dual-use AI since as early as June 2025 [5]. This means the conversion of AI products from civilian or non-military use cases to military ones. Secondly, UW has been directly lobbying Federal MPs most involved with intensified Canadian militarism. This includes both Minister of National Defence, David McGuinty, and Minister of Defense Procurement, Stephen Fuhr, the former of whom announced $900 million dollars of funding for “defence innovation and quantum technology” on campus [6], [7]. Additionally, one of UW President Rosehart’s first LinkedIn posts as president was about him discussing Waterloo Region’s defence capabilities with Minister of Industry, Melanie Joly [8]. There is a clear and intentional mobilization of the University of Waterloo towards weapons spending, and that funding is being justified through the lens of sovereignty, innovation, and soft nationalism.

Militarist mobilizations can also be seen through regional organizations, but also university-interested organizations which are national in scope. Take U15 Canada, for example, which has the stated goal of working “…to optimize research and innovation policies and programs that advance knowledge, develop highly qualified leaders for all sectors, and mobilize knowledge for the benefit of all Canadians” [9]. The organization is based upon the top 15 research Universities in Canada, and the organization’s CEO, Robert Asselin, has dedicated a significant amount of his time to military spending and military research. Asselin stated in an interview with Public Policy Forum that just as the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) had a leading role in bolstering the modern U.S. weapons industry, Canada’s research ecosystem should follow in parallel [10].

The University of Waterloo’s militarism is not new, but it is intensifying. This is reflected primarily through the University of Waterloo’s investments and weapons-related research funding, and through the promotion of weapons technology development throughout Waterloo region conferences and start-ups. The latter component of this reflection should be investigated further in a separate article.

When analyzing the University of Waterloo’s Endowment & Pension Funds, which comprise the majority of overall investments, a disproportionate increase of investments into weapons manufacturers can be observed. Some of those companies include General Dynamics at 33.6%, Raytheon at 74.3%, a 176.9% increase in the Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems, and a whopping 198.1% increase in Palantir Technologies [11], [12]; a quick Google search about Palantir will reveal all kinds of dystopian quotes by the company’s CEO, Alex Karp. This can also be said about the aggregate increase of 25 of the weapons manufacturers that the University is invested in. While the total dollar value of the University’s Endowment & Pension Funds grew by 9.59% from 2025 to 2026, the University increased its investments in those 25 weapons manufacturers by 56.2%.

With regard to weapons research, a majority of such projects are undertaken through the IQC. As reported in Waterloo News in March, the National Research Council (NRC) announced $161 million towards “Canada’s leadership in quantum technology for defence and security applications” [13]. More funding towards defence & dual-use tech was announced in July, as part of a $7.1 million dollar ‘Discovery Grant’ [14].  Moreover, the University is expected to stimulate hundreds of thousands of dollars in defence and dual-use research through Canada Impact Research chairs and Canada Impact Research Training Awards (CIRTAs) [15]. In conjunction with the fact that the University of Waterloo has lobbied the Federal government for weapons spending five times in 2026, its position within the militarization of the economy becomes clearer.

Terminology such as defence & dual-use technology is euphemistic at best, and dishonest at worst. Secretary-General of NATO, Mark Rutte, said that NATO “is a platform for the United States to project power on the world stage” [16]. He reiterated this in September, stating that more than 5000 planes had taken off from European bases in the United States’ war of aggression on Iran, known as “Operation Epic Fury” [17]. Thus, Canada’s militarization is interlinked with NATO’s Defence Investment Pledge, which in turn serves as a platform for U.S. power projection.

The University of Waterloo’s militarization is a symptom of Canada’s expanding military-industrial complex to support, through NATO, the United States’ power projection. In practice, this looks like Canadian-owned companies such as Streit Group supplying military technology to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, “a Sudanese paramilitary force that stands accused of genocide” [18]. It looks like Canadian eagerness to support the U.S. war of aggression on Iran, which Prime Minister Mark Carney said was ‘worth it’ [19]. Finally,  it looks like Canadian companies exporting military goods, both directly and indirectly, to a state committing genocide in Gaza [20]. On September 16th, 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner stated: “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention” [21]. 

As stated in the Professional Engineers of Ontario’s (PEO) 2013 Code of Ethics, “…professional engineers have a clearly defined duty to society, which is to regard the duty to public welfare as paramount, above their duties to clients or employers”[22]. As engineers at the University of Waterloo, we should be very conscious about exactly what and where our labour power is being devoted to. Our duties towards clients, employers, and even projects pertaining to national ‘interests’ or ‘priorities’ are being superseded by our duty to public welfare. It might be argued that if an engineer doesn’t take up a job in weapons manufacturing, that someone else will. However, the engineer who does take that opportunity should know that their labour may be inextricably bound to companies and projects which run counter to their paramount duty as a professional engineer. In conjunction with the fact that the companies involved in Canada’s military-industrial complex are devoted to ever-increasing corporate profits through the successful marketing of their weaponry above all else, the likelihood that the engineer abrogates their paramount duty grows significantly. 

Readers should determine whether it is necessary for the University of Waterloo to militarize, or demilitarize.

References:

[1] “Canada joins new NATO Defence Investment Pledge.” Prime Minister of Canada, Jul. 10, 2025. https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2025/06/25/canada-joins-new-nato-defence-investment-pledg (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[2] “How much will Alto’s high-speed rail cost Canadians and how is it funded?” Alto. https://www.altotrain.ca/en/faq/how-much-will-altos-high-speed-rail-cost-canadians-and-how-it-funded (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[3] B. Segel-Brown, “Federal spending to address homelessness.” Parliamentary Budget Office, May 22, 2024. https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2425-005-S–federal-spending-address-homelessness–depenses-federales-matiere-itinerance (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[4] “Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy”, Government of Canada, Feb, 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/industrial-strategy/security-sovereignty-prosperity.html (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[5] J. Blit, D. Goldfarb, P. Samson and S. Tapp, “Recommendations.”  https://www.aiadoption.ca/recommendations (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[6] Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada, https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/advSrch?searchCommand=navigate&time=1790880442324 (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[8] B. Rosehart, “It was a pleasure to join the Honourable @Mélanie Joly and the Honourable @Bardish Chagger at the Accelerator Centre today…,” LinkedIn, Jul. 08, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bill-rosehart_it-was-a-pleasure-to-join-the-honourable-ugcPost-7480741218109464576-6N8S/ (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[9] “About us – U15 Canada,” U15 Canada, Nov. 12, 2024. https://u15.ca/about-us/ (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[10] Public Policy Forum, “Robert Asselin on the race to build top Canadian talent | WONK with Amanda Lang,” YouTube. Apr. 16, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxY6llHMqsw (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

See 24:30

[11] “Pension investment list | Finance | University of Waterloo.” https://uwaterloo.ca/finance/pension-investment-list (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[13] “IQC showcases research and innovation during Defence Minister visit | Institute for Quantum Computing | University of Waterloo.” https://uwaterloo.ca/institute-for-quantum-computing/news/iqc-showcases-research-and-innovation-during-defence (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[14] “Waterloo researchers awarded more than $7.1 million in funding | Waterloo News | University of Waterloo.” https://uwaterloo.ca/news/waterloo-researchers-awarded-more-71-million-funding (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[15] “Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program at University of Waterloo | Research | University of Waterloo.” https://uwaterloo.ca/research/find-and-apply-funding/find-funding/canada-impact-research-chairs-program-university-waterloo (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[16] Newsmax, “NATO Secretary General: There is widespread support for Trump’s Iran actions | The Record,” YouTube. Mar. 04, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELNl5s42KjM (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

See 7:00

[17] Chicago Council on Global Affairs, “The Chicago Council on Global Affairs Hosts a Conversation on NATO’s Future with Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ambassador Matthew G. Whitaker,” Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Sep. 22, 2026. https://globalaffairs.org/chicago-council-global-affairs-invites-you-conversation-natos-future-secretary-general-mark (accessed Sep. 28, 2026). See 52:08

[18] G. York, “Armoured vehicles from Canadian-owned company deployed in Sudan’s war zones,” The Globe and Mail, Aug. 26, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-sudan-war-armoured-vehicles-canadian-owned-company/ (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[19] R. Rafique, “Carney again praises U.S.-Iran peace deal after calling war ‘worth it’,” CBC, Jun. 19, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-calls-iran-war-worth-it-9.7240579 (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[20] A. Cosh, “Canada exported $14.6 million of military goods to Israel in 2025,” The Maple, May 29, 2026. https://www.readthemaple.com/canada-exported-14-6-million-of-military-goods-to-israel-in-2025/ (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[21] “Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds,” Sep. 16, 2025. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).

[22] “Code of Ethics,” Professional Engineers Ontario, https://www.peo.on.ca/licence-holders/code-ethics (accessed Sep. 28, 2026).