For many years, governments across the political spectrum underfunded Canada’s national defence. This is not to assign partisan blame, but to point out that there was little overall support for higher defence spending among either the public or MPs, and governments thus preferred to focus on other priorities.
At its lowest, defence spending fell to just below 1% of GDP, far below the 2% NATO target.
While this was initially understandable as part of the ‘peace dividend’ following the fall of the Soviet Union, it became less and less defensible as Russia rearmed and invaded Ukraine, and as China undertook one of the largest military buildups in history.
And with a more transactional and less reliable U.S. Administration in power, it became completely untenable for Canada to assume that we could ensure our security with such low levels of defence spending.
This is something the federal government under Mark Carney has recognized and is acting upon by officially hitting the 2% NATO target in 2026 rather than in 2032 as projected under the previous government and with further defence spending increases planned to reach the new 5% target (3.5% of GDP on defence, 1.5% on security-related investments) by the 2035 deadline, with the government planning to hit 4% overall by 2030.
That rapid shift towards hitting the old NATO target and moving towards the new one, combined with the announcement of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) as the preferred supplier of up to 12 new submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy, which represents Canada’s largest defence procurement in history, and a drone deal with Ukraine, are all further signs that the government is willing to invest in Canada’s long-term military strength.
By deepening Canada’s defence ties to important partners like Germany and Norway with the submarine choice, and by significantly ramping up defence spending, the Canadian government is taking important steps towards fulfilling its most important responsibility: Ensuring a strong national defence. For the first time in quite a while, it is realistic to say that Canada is taking national defence seriously, and acting as a more serious and confident nation on the world stage.
Spencer Fernando
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