Canada's defence budget leaves 2035 NATO spending target unexplained, critics say
The federal budget covers defence spending only to 2030, and the parliamentary budget officer puts the 2035 gap at about $70 billion a year.
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Ottawa's new budget projects defence spending only through 2030. Core defence spending is expected to reach 2.6 per cent of GDP by then, about $99 billion, up from $43.9 billion in 2024. Parliamentary budget officer Annette Ryan estimates that reaching 3.5 per cent by 2035 would require $163.6 billion that year, roughly $70 billion a year more than the two per cent level.
Former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page has said the government is not being transparent by ending its projections at 2030. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne disagreed Thursday. "In terms of spending on defence … you'll see more transparency than most G7 countries," he said at a news conference. "You'll see the spending on a cash basis for every year until 2030."
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said a full plan would be outdated quickly because modern warfare is changing so fast.
The budget also sets aside $25 million for members of the Canadian Armed Forces, their families and communities affected by the fire at CFB Wainwright last month, which killed four soldiers and injured dozens more, plus another $3 million for the Wainwright Military Family Resource Centre. The government has not broken down the $25 million further. No funding has been set aside yet for a planned submarine purchase from TKMS or radar aircraft from Saab, both still under negotiation.
What would reaching the 2035 target cost each year beyond 2030, and when will the government say?
Why does the budget stop its defence projections at 2030?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
