Canada’s military eroded under both Liberal and Conservative governments. Now that something may finally be done about it, we cannot let negative polarization stand in the way.
Politically, there are no heroes when it comes to the long-term erosion of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Military spending dropped below 1% of GDP under the Harper Government.
The Trudeau government made promises that often went unkept, and planned to hit the NATO 2% target by the laughably distant date of 2032.
The NDP has long been opposed to increased defence spending, instead opting for a pacifist approach that bordered on naivety.
Thus, no major party in the House of Commons can credibly claim to have a strong recent record on building up the Canadian military.
The past is the past
Of course, none of that really matters now.
The past can’t be changed.
Assigning blame won’t alter the fact that the CAF is in dire need of rebuilding.
And so, what matters now is looking forward.
Objectively, the current federal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney has taken the most pro-rearmament stance of any Canadian government in decades.
The 2% NATO target will be hit this fiscal year, and Canada has, alongside our NATO allies, committed to a new target of 3.5% of GDP on defence and 1.5% on defence-related investment by 2035.
While some have claimed the upcoming rearmament lacks details, the government has publicly explained how it intends to hit the 2% target this fiscal year:
“This plan includes a cash increase of over $9 billion ($8.3 billion on an accrual basis) in defence investment this fiscal year (2025-26), bringing Canada’s defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product.”
$2.6 billion will go toward recruitment and retention, $844 million to military infrastructure investment, $560 million on protection from digital threats, $1 billion on improving self-sufficiency in new and emerging military capabilities, $2.1 billion on the foundation of a Defence Industrial Strategy, and $2 billion on diversifying defence partnerships beyond the U.S. (something that is now already underway with Canada signing a defence partnership with the European Union).
An important step in the right direction
For years, the Conservatives were critical of the so-called “Decade of Darkness” for the CAF under the Liberals. Much of that criticism was warranted, as former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed to adequately arm Canada to deal with current threats.
But now, that is changing.
The Carney Government will be spending more on the military as a percentage of GDP than in any year under either the Harper Government or the Trudeau Government.
Canada is strengthening ties with the European Union, a continuation of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s push for a Canada-EU Free Trade Deal.
We are starting to invest in our domestic arms industry, strengthening our resilience.
The government has even taken a more patriotic tone, emphasizing Canada’s connection to Europe and inviting King Charles III to deliver the throne speech.
All of these moves are largely aligned with what the reasonable centre-right has wanted for years.
In fact, Prime Minister Carney is even talking about tradeoffs in spending being needed to afford rearmament, the kind of realism and prioritization of national defence that was absent under Trudeau.
Horseshoe theory
And yet, many right-wing pundits are clearly trying to turn the public against rearmament just as it gets underway. Strangely, they are using many left-wing talking points to do so, such as claiming it ‘risks war’ and lamenting possible social spending restraint as money shifts to the military.
Disturbingly, one can’t help but see a bit of Russian propaganda narratives in all of this, as elements of the right in many Western nations have been manipulated into opposing anything that increases the relative military strength of free nations.
This is the wrong path for the right to go down.
At a dangerous time in the world, Canada needs a right-wing that is pro-military, pro-defence spending, pro-NATO, and willing to be honest with the public about the fact that preparing for war does indeed require tradeoffs and sacrifices.
What we don’t need is a right-wing that adopts left-wing anti-rearmament talking points, cynically generates outrage to try and slow down military spending, and aligns with narratives that would ultimately benefit Russia.
This is a time of decision. And all Canadians who value our freedom, our values, our prosperity, and our alliances should support the long-overdue rebuilding of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Spencer Fernando
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