A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence
April 09, 2024
Global Korean Post
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Bill Blair released Our North, Strong and Free – a defence policy update that responds to the significant global shifts we have witnessed since Canada’s comprehensive defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, was announced in 2017. It is an investment in Canada, Canadians and our shared values, security, and sovereignty.
The most urgent and important task we face is asserting Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic and northern regions, where the changing physical and geopolitical landscapes have created new threats and vulnerabilities to Canada and Canadians. This includes the need to upgrade our continental defences to threats or defeat them when necessary.
The Prime Minister and Minister Blair announced Canada’s vision and its plan to defend Canadians in this new global environment. The new defence policy sets out to address two core objectives: strengthen the foundations of the CAF and acquire new capabilities to deal with new threats.
To deliver on our renewed vision for defence outlined in the policy, we need to provide the members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with the tools, equipment, and training they need to keep Canada and Canadians safe in an increasingly unpredictable world, and to support them on the home front.
The new investments in Our North, Strong and Free will ensure that Canada can deliver on this vision. Defence investments in Budget 2024 are expected to bring Canada’s defence spending-to-GDP ratio to 1.76% by 2029-30, a significant step forward in our efforts to reach the NATO commitment of 2% to which we agreed at the Vilnius Summit in 2023. The initiatives under this defence policy also put Canada on track to exceed NATO’s target of 20% for major equipment expenditures as a proportion of defence funding.
Canada will invest $8.1 billion over the next five years, and $73 billion over the next 20 years, in our national defence over six major themes to:
- support our people;
- strengthen our foundations;
- build an innovative industrial base;
- defend Canada;
- defend North America; and
- defend Canada’s global interests and values.
