Increase Spending for National Sovereignty
SupportIn a world with increasing aggression from Russia and China and a vulnerable melting Arctic, Canada's sovereignty is at severe risk. A significant increase in defense spending is essential to defend the nation's territory, protect its vast coastline, deter foreign incursions, and meet obligations to allies, ensuring Canada is a capable partner rather than a security liability.
4 voices
Prioritize Domestic Needs Over Military
OpposeIncreased military spending is a misallocation of national resources that directly takes funding away from critical domestic priorities like healthcare, humanitarian aid, and climate action. Canada should reject militarism and the influence of the military-industrial complex, and instead strengthen its global standing through diplomacy, disarmament, and conflict prevention.
2 voices
Fix Procurement Before Increasing Budgets
NuancedThe debate over spending targets is a distraction from the core problem: a deeply broken procurement system. Pouring more money into a bureaucracy that delivers obsolete equipment decades late is a waste of taxpayer funds. Canada must first overhaul its procurement process and base funding on a rigorous assessment of specific threats and required capabilities, not arbitrary percentages.
2 voices
Focus on Strategic, Modern Capabilities
SupportSimply increasing the budget is not enough; spending must be modernized and strategic. Funds should be directed away from bureaucracy and outdated conventional forces toward the real needs of a 21st-century military, prioritizing frontline equipment, technology like drones and cyber warfare, and capabilities specific to Canada's unique geography.
2 voices
Use Spending as Domestic Industrial Policy
SupportAny increase in defence spending must be structured as a national industrial strategy. Procurement contracts must be mandated to build domestic manufacturing capacity, create high-skilled Canadian jobs, and develop local technology, ensuring the economic benefits strengthen Canada's own economy rather than flowing to foreign suppliers.
1 voice
Restore Honour to the Military
SupportThe current degraded state of the Canadian Armed Forces is a national disgrace that dishonors the country's proud military history. Properly funding and rebuilding the military is a moral obligation to past veterans, current service members, and future generations to restore a respected and capable institution.
1 voice
Link Arctic Defence to Indigenous Investment
NuancedTrue Arctic sovereignty is not achieved with military hardware alone, but by supporting the Indigenous peoples who inhabit the North. Any military expansion in the Arctic must be co-developed with Inuit communities and directly tied to major investments in their critical infrastructure, housing, and healthcare.
1 voice
Reject NATO Targets for Continental Defence
NuancedThe NATO 2% target primarily serves the US military-industrial complex and entangles Canada in foreign conflicts. Instead of buying American weapons for overseas missions, Canada should reject these arbitrary targets and focus its investments strictly on defending continental sovereignty through NORAD, Arctic surveillance, and cybersecurity.
1 voice