Defence policy update raises spending by $8B with focus on Arctic, cyber security – National

Defence Minister Bill Blair unveiled Monday $7.9 billion in new spending on the Canadian Armed Forces over the next five years in a long-promised update to Canada’s defence policy, but this will still not meet the country’s target under NATO. By the end of the new five-year plan in the 2029-30 fiscal year, Canada is … Read more

Canada’s military facing ‘death spiral’ on recruitment, minister says – National

The Canadian Forces is facing “a death spiral” when it comes to recruitment, even as the government is “constrained” on more defence spending, Defence Minister Bill Blair says. Blair made those remarks after speaking to a crowd attending the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence on Thursday, though stressed the government’s commitment to spend more … Read more

Slow procurement putting defence spending down the line: PBO – National

The parliamentary budget officer says the Defence Department is planning unprecedented capital spending in the coming years, raising concerns about the effect of inflation. In a new report, Yves Giroux assessed 20 years of planned capital spending under Canada’s 2017 defence policy, billed “Strong, Secure, Engaged.” He found planned spending is $51.5 billion more than … Read more

Internal government polls capture desire for balanced budget, housing spending – National

Finance Minister Chyrstia Freeland will not present the 2024 budget until early spring but as early as last July the federal government has been actively seeking input from Canadians on that budget’s major themes as early as July. Indeed, internal government polls obtained by Global News, from July through to the beginning of October, found … Read more