Canada’s $1-trillion defence commitment: whose future are we defending?

The implication is clear: Canada’s defence strategy must become, in part, an industrial strategy—one focused on building and retaining firms.

Defence Minister David McGuinty, pictured on the Hill. Canada is about to spend on defence at a scale not seen in generations. By 2035, defence and defence-related expenditures are slated to rise to five per cent of GDP, implying roughly $1.275-trillion in cumulative additional spending over the next decade, write Dan Ciurak and Ann Fitz-Gerald. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY ANN FITZ-GERALD, DAN CIURIAK

May 14, 2026

Canada is about to spend on defence at a scale not seen in generations. By 2035, defence and defence-related expenditures are slated to rise to five per cent of GDP, implying

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