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Philippe Lagassé

Associate Director, PhD Program; Barton Chair in International Affairs

Philippe Lagassé is an Associate Professor and the Barton Chair at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Lagassé’s research focuses on defence policy and procurement, executive power, and the Westminster system, notably in the areas of foreign and military affairs. In addition to his academic work, Lagassé has served as an advisor and consultant to the Canadian government. Between 2012-2014 he was a member of the Independent Review Panel overseeing the evaluation of options to replace Canada’s CF-18 fighter aircraft, and was a member of the Independent Review Panel for Defence Acquisition within the Department of National Defence from 2015 to 2022. He has also authored studies for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces on the offices, institutions, and authorities that govern Canada’s military affairs. In 2025, Lagassé was awarded the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service for his “exceptional contribution to Canadian defence policy” by the Chief of the Defence Staff.

Lagassé regularly testifies before parliamentary committees in Canada and the United Kingdom. He also provides non-partisan advice to ministers, political staff, government officials, and senior leaders. He is a senior fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and a senior associate fellow with the Royal United Services Institute in the United Kingdom.

Overall Research Focus/Expertise

Lagassé’s research focuses on three main areas: 1) defence policy and procurement; 2) executive power in contemporary liberal democracies; 3) the Westminster system.

His defence policy and procurement research examines how Canada approaches its defence affairs and how the Canadian defence procurement system operates and can be improved. His research and expertise in this area draws on over two decades of scholarship and over a decade of experience within the Government of Canada.

Lagassé’s research on executive power focuses on the legal authorities authorities of executive branches in liberal democracies. This research has included studies of the prerogative powers of the Crown in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. His current research on executive power focuses on supreme military command authorities and the powers of commanders-in-chief in an historical and comparative perspective. These projects have been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Lagassé’s research on the Westminster system examines the Crown, Parliament, and machinery of government. He is recognized as one of Canada’s leading academic experts on Canada’s political constitution. This research has contributed to his recently co-authored book on legislative oversight of armed forces, and a new project on the role of defence ministries in fifteen states.

Current Projects

Lagassé is current working four major projects:

a) A book on the royal prerogative in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

b) A book on Canada’s political constitution.

c) A comparative study of defence ministries in fifteen countries.

d) A historical and comparative study of supreme military command authority and commanders-in-chief.

Recent Publications

David Auerswald, Philippe Lagassé, and Stephen Saideman, Overseen or Overlooked? Legislatures, Armed Forces and Democratic Accountability (Stanford University Press, 2025).

Philippe Lagassé and Sebastian Payne, “Statutory intelligence, prerogative deployments: Explaining varying legal authorities for national security in Westminster states,” King’s Law Journal (2025).

Philippe Lagassé and Daniel Skeffington, “Historical Interpretation and the War Prerogative: The Case of the Royal Navy,” Public Law, issue 2, 2025.

Carolyn Harris and Philippe Lagassé, “The Rules of the Coronation: Differentiating Convention from Practice and Custom,” The Political Quarterly (2025)

Philippe Lagassé and Justin Massie, “Parliamentarising War: Explaining Legislative Votes on Canadian Military Deployments,” International Relations 29(2), 2025.

Philippe Lagassé, “Cooperating to Contrôle: French Senators as Defence Overseers and Civil-Military Actors,” European Security 32(2), 2023.

Philippe Lagassé, “Defence Intelligence and the Crown Prerogative in Canada,” Canadian Public Administration 64(4), 2021.

Willing to support students in the following areas of research

Lagassé supervises students who work on the following topics:

1) Defence policy and procurement

2) Institutions and national security governance

3) The Westminster system

4) Military command authority and civil-military relations

5) The foreign and defence policies of Australia, Belgium, France, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom

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