Getting the job done on bolstering Canada’s defence requires difficult financial decisions

Meeting this new goalpost of five per cent of GDP will fundamentally reshape federal finances, and force a reconsideration of what Ottawa spends—and how it pays for it.

Defence Minister David McGuinty. A credible fiscal plan is valuable to equip our Defence Department with a reliable frame to go about planning multi-year equipment and personnel decisions, write Colin Busby and Nicholas Dahir.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY COLIN BUSBY, NICHOLAS DAHIR

April 21, 2026

Having finally reached the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s old two per cent target of GDP defence spending in early 2026, Canada now faces a far steeper, and more critical climb: raising that share to five per cent by 2035. Meeting this new goalpost—and boosting mil...

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