Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a decisive move to significantly increase Canada’s defence spending, pledging to hit NATO’s 2% of GDP target by the end of this fiscal year, five years earlier than anticipated. Speaking at the University of Toronto, Carney emphasized the critical need for Canada to reduce its defence dependency on the United States amidst a “dangerous and divided world” and growing threats to national sovereignty. This marks a substantial departure from Canada’s historical defence expenditure.
A core tenet of this new strategy is a multi-billion dollar investment in Canadian defence manufacturing, designed to bolster domestic production and lessen reliance on foreign, particularly American, military hardware. Carney highlighted the dire state of Canada’s current military fleet, including its largely unseaworthy submarines and numerous non-operational vehicles, as a key driver for this domestic focus. He also acknowledged the changing dynamics with the US, influenced by protectionist policies, as a factor in Canada’s decision to bolster its own capabilities.
These significant policy shifts are being unveiled strategically, just prior to Canada hosting the G7 summit and as NATO prepares for its own summit, where defence spending will be a primary discussion point. Carney’s emphasis on “made-in-Canada manufacturing” and a conscious reduction in defence capital sent to the US signals a new era of self-reliance and a more assertive role for Canada in global security.