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Written by: Alex Tyrrell and Yves Engler

NATO fears losing its ideological grip on the young so the belligerent military alliance’s backers are fighting back.

In recent years a number of NATO-aligned institutions have expressed concern about the political orientation of younger generations. According to a report published by the NATO Association of Canada, youth support for militarism and hawkish foreign policy is substantially weaker among Gen Z and Millennials than among older demographics. In both the U.S. and Canada, youth are more skeptical of portraying countries like China and Russia as existential threats and more likely to oppose U.S. military aid to Israel and support Palestinian rights. When it comes to peace, young people are most likely to support it. The NATO Association of Canada report calls for urgent efforts to reframe military spending to the young as a civic duty.

In a similar vein, a recent Association for Canadian Studies poll found that the youth are far less likely to support war with Iran and back narratives that challenge U.S., NATO and Israeli positions. Students were the least supportive of war or to believe Iran wants to destroy Israel and most conflicted about militarized solutions — to the chagrin of the pro-Israel and war Association for Canadian Studies and National Post.

This is the context in which to understand the emergence of the Young Politicians of Canada. The group presents itself as an inclusive, youth-led, non-profit aiming to foster civic engagement. But, behind the glossy branding and some legitimate youth advocacy on non military issues, lies a structure closely entangled with NATO-aligned institutions. In fact, NATO Canada is the number one partner listed on the Young Politicians of Canada website and its “National Security Task Force” boasts of collaborating with NATO-Canada and the White House. Young Politicians of Canada’s “National Security Task Force” recently sent teenagers to Washington, D.C. for briefings from the White House National Security Council, NATO, and affiliated think tanks. According to its website, “this initiative is only made possible by the joint efforts of the White House, NATO Canada, YATA-NATO Canada, and the Young Politicians of Canada.” After the conference the participants co-authored a report for the federal government promoting U.S. and NATO priorities.

The Young Politicians of Canada includes a network of high school and university clubs. On June 30, its Quebec chapter is hosting “Voices of the Future” in Montreal with as yet announced politicians while earlier in the year their event in Ottawa featured a number of foreign ambassadors and dignitaries. Far from a grassroots meeting, the Ottawa summit underscored the group’s access to the elite and its function as a soft-power bridge between NATO-aligned diplomatic circles and Canadian youth leaders.

While the Young Politicians of Canada presents itself as a youth-driven civic group, its advisory council includes members of Canada’s foreign policy and defence establishment. The notorious Liberal Zionist M.P. Anthony Housefauther, who is also Vice-chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group is on the advisory board. So is the Chair Emerita of the NATO Association of Canada, Kathryn Langley Hope, who has helped organize youth-focused NATO summits and authored the 2023 report “How Young People in Canada and the USA View National Security”, which urges NATO to target youth engagement to counter anti-military sentiment. Another council member is the chair of Canada’s Standing Committee on National Defence, John McKay. Elizabeth May is also on the advisory council. Last year the co-leader of the Green Party of Canada, May called NATO a “necessary bulwark against authoritarian regimes” and a year earlier condemned the Palestinian Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement. Founder of the SECTION 1 think tank, Peter Biro is also on the council. Biro has framed youth dissent as a vulnerability to foreign disinformation, echoing a NATO narrative.

The Young Politicians of Canada aligns with NATO Canada’s stated goal of reshaping youth perspectives on militarism and foreign policy. It glorifies NATO militarism and its 16 year-old founder, Jordan Braves, even posted a video of himself online firing a semi automatic firearm while leaning on a NATO flag.

Jaden Braves founded and leads Young Politicians of Canada. Having “recently represented Canada as a federal representative at the NATO Summit in Washington”, Braves is a key youth figure in the pro-military policy and influencer sphere. Braves has received the King Charles III Coronation Medal and been named one of Canada’s Top 10 Under 18 as well as being publicly endorsed by the Government of Canada, Attorney General and Members of Parliament. The 16 year-old’s rapid ascent raises critical questions about the independence and agenda of the organizations he leads.

So does a private company, Canadian Defence Coalition, Jaden Braves purportedly founded. Registered to Zev Braves, Canadian Defence Coalition operates as a hybrid entity combining military consulting, strategic communications and lobby campaigns. While not formally a defence contractor, the Canadian Defence Coalition positions itself as an intermediary between government agencies, defence companies and civilian institutions. Its public-facing mission focuses on lobbying for increased defence spending, “upholding Canada’s commitments to NATO”, shaping Arctic militarization policy and promoting Canadian “readiness” for geopolitical conflict. At the same time, it runs a parallel track of influence operations for clients “leveraging deep government relationships to deliver results.”

Through this dual strategy, the Canadian Defence Coalition functions as a civilian-facing advocacy group promoting military-industrial priorities while appearing to seek work from arms firms, military alliances or governments. It also appears to offer surveillance services.

Jaden Braves is not just a pro NATO child influencer. He’s also trying to sell Remote Domain Intercept Technology (RDIT) as a service on the organization’s official website. RDIT can be described as a technology that functions as a covert surveillance apparatus, likely scraping user data, monitoring online behavior and circumventing national firewalls to extract politically sensitive information. By commercializing this practice, Braves and the Canadian Defence Coalition could be selling digital surveillance tools, creating a significant conflict of interest. According to his own website, Jaden Braves may be directly profiting from the military industrial complex while engaging in youth advocacy around the very same issues. One can only wonder what role his parents play in all this.

The rise of Jaden Braves and the Young Politicians of Canada must be understood not simply as a grassroots civic experiment — but as a response to anxiety within Canada’s military and foreign policy establishment. Young people are more likely to reject militarism, question the portrayal of China and Russia as enemies, oppose endless arms shipments and support diplomacy. This trend represents a threat to the foreign policy establishment and arms industry.

For NATO-aligned institutions and weapons manufacturers, this is a threat worth investing significant resources to counter. The elaborate infrastructure being built around the Young Politicians of Canada — from government endorsements to youth delegations and school clubs — is not about empowering young people to think critically. It’s about protecting the military-industrial status quo from the threat of youth-led peace activism.

Alex Tyrrell is leader of the Green Party of Québec. He is an eco-socialist activist and an outspoken voice against Canadian militarism.

Yves Engler is the author of 13 books. His latest book, available now, is "Canada's Long Fight Against Democracy”.

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