Canada is finally having the defence conversation it has deferred for a generation. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new $6.6 billion Buy Canadian defence plan promises to prioritize domestic production, expand small- and medium-sized firms into the sector, and create up to 125,000 jobs over the next decade.
At the same time, Canada has pledged to raise core defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP within 10 years, alongside an additional 1.5 percent for dual use security infrastructure. By 2035, that implies annual defence-related spending approaching $160 billion.
