Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland remains firm in her commitment to boost military spending by 63% within two years, despite skepticism from former cabinet colleagues.
“Watch me,” Freeland declared after her plan was criticized as unrealistic.
Blacklock's Reporter says Freeland reiterated her stance in a Twitter post, responding to doubts raised by retired transport minister and former Royal Canadian Navy officer Marc Garneau, 76.
According to the Department of National Defence’s Main Estimates, this year’s budget for military spending is $30.6 billion. Freeland has pledged to raise that figure to at least $50 billion — approximately 2% of GDP — by 2027.
She stated that part of the increase would come from boosting wages for new recruits, who currently earn an average of $43,000 per year.
Garneau expressed concerns over the feasibility of Freeland’s plan.
“Anyone who promises to bring Canada’s defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2027, that’s in two and a half years, does not understand military procurement,” he wrote.
“It can’t be done just through well-justified salary increases.”
Freeland’s leadership rival, Mark Carney, has also proposed increased military spending but did not commit to a specific target.
“We have our own priorities,” Carney told reporters on February 5.
“We will move forward.”
He emphasized the importance of spending money wisely and ensuring a significant portion is spent domestically rather than in the United States.
Canada was among eight NATO nations that failed to meet the 2% spending target last year, alongside Belgium, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain, according to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for NATO members to go even further. On January 23, he proposed increasing the target to 5% of GDP.
“I am going to ask all NATO nations to increase defence spending to five percent of GDP which is what it should have been years ago,” he said.
A 2022 report by the Budget Office, Canada’s Military Expenditure And The NATO Two Percent Spending Target, warned that meeting the 2% benchmark would come at a significant cost.
During Commons government operations committee hearings, Budget Officer Yves Giroux noted that reaching the target would amount to nearly $500 per Canadian.
New Democrat MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni, B.C.) questioned whether defence spending could surpass federal health care spending.
“If not above, it would certainly be very close,” replied Giroux.
