Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

I have long said that you could fund the CAF to 4 percent of GDP, but we would still lag behind in NATO and be much the same where we are.

It's never the money, it's politics. It's procedures. It's the pork-barreling in our defence spending that makes us a paper tiger in NATO.

My only hope in all of this for the CAF and the GoC, whatever the political stripe that may be, is that it will rouse them out of the "Peace Dividend" slumber. The world has been unstable since 1945. We have used geography, proximity, and association as a Defence Policy ever since. ICBMs don't care how close to the U.S. or how far from Russia/China we are.

Don't give us a dime more, but let us spend money on defence like it matters. The fact we follow the same rules for purchasing a fighter aircraft as we do for buying office furniture for a Service Canada office is disgraceful. Don't treat defense procurement as a stimulus package for Canadian Industry. There I said it.

We spend so much money, time, and effort trying to get that money to stay in Canada; be it by awarding contracts to companies with no capability to produce items without first "retooling" and"developing the production lines", or by hamstringing perfectly competent and competitive bidders by forcing the project to be made in St. Margaret de Poutain de Champignon, QC because the ruling government either lost the seat in the election, or won it with promises.

We spend so much money and staff hours jumping through TBS regulations that are great for other departments, but are terrible for defence procurement. Some items you have to sole source, because there are technologies and capabilities no one else makes. By doing the bid process, you get companies clamoring for a project they can't deliver on, but because they tick the bright boxes on the score sheet....

I truly and honestly belief we need to split from PSPC and legislate that its not beholden to TBS, only to the PBO/PCO. The guiding principles of this new Defence Procurement department should be "Off the shelf, from somewhere else" if there isn't an industry in Canada.

BOOTFORGEN has demonstrated how well we do when we are able to actually get what we need, instead of lining the pockets of a Canadian company that got lucky.

That, but with tanks, fighters, ships, weapons systems....

 

[Czech_pivo]

I also suspect that as soon as the cuts got announced that certain phone lines started buzzing from allies.

It’s almost like someone should pass along these news articles along to all Republican Presidential candidates and say, ‘Care to comment on this?’

 

[Brad Sallows]

"Canada’s defence spending has increased year after year under our government."

It's not clear that this is true if amounts are adjusted for inflation and population. And if failure to grow for inflation and population is a "cut" when conservatives are in charge, it's a "cut" for anyone who ever used/uses that definition, also.

 

[Happy Guy]

What I am constantly surprised are the seemingly continual string of failures by the fed gov't.

Are the staffers and bureaucrats not doing their work in warning and protecting the leader? Are the staff and bureaucrats incompetent? Are they just sycophants? Are the responsible ones still there and trying to keep mistakes from getting worse - much like the CDS is trying to do within the DND/CAF?

Is the PM's self assurance and arrogance such that he ignores the advice and does what he wants?

I tend to think that this is due to PM Trudeau's hubris, much like his father. In summary:

L'État, c'est moi (I myself am the nation)​

​

 

[McG]

It’s almost like someone should pass along these news articles along to all Republican Presidential candidates and say, ‘Care to comment on this?’

Nothing good comes for Canada by inculcating a predisposition to beat on Canada within the Republican Party sense of who it is. Not even in cases where we should do better.

 

[dimsum]

What I am constantly surprised are the seemingly continual string of failures by the fed gov't.

Are the staffers and bureaucrats not doing their work in warning and protecting the leader? Are the staff and bureaucrats incompetent? Are they just sycophants? Are the responsible ones still there and trying to keep mistakes from getting worse - much like the CDS is trying to do within the DND/CAF?

Is the PM's self assurance and arrogance such that he ignores the advice and does what he wants?

I tend to think that this is due to PM Trudeau's hubris, much like his father. In summary:

L'État, c'est moi (I myself am the nation)​

​

Maybe part of it is reaction to the whole “budgets will balance themselves” thing and spending during Covid. Remember how CPC and others were bashing on how the LPC spending was unsustainable?

Maybe Minister Anand took a look at the books when she got into her current job and said “whoa - ok we have to cut spending”.

 

[dapaterson]

Maybe Minister Anand took a look at the books when she got into her current job and said “whoa - ok we have to cut spending”.

The spending reductions were announced in Budget 2023, before the cabinet shuffle. The details are only now, slowly, coming out.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Maybe part of it is reaction to the whole “budgets will balance themselves” thing and spending during Covid. Remember how CPC and others were bashing on how the LPC spending was unsustainable?

To be fair, the LPC spending plan was sustainable under the assumptions they were using.

 

[Happy Guy]

Canada’s push to axe $1B from military budget for savings will impact security: defence chief​

Trudeau said Canada will never meet NATO military spending target, leaked intel claims​

NDP against Canada increasing defence spending to hit 'arbitrary' NATO target​

In summary, we should have not been surprised by the PM Trudeau's decision to cut defence spending because if he did, the NDP would not have supported it. To be fair, Mr. Singh said that the NDP would review the tasks and ensure that the CAF was adequately funded. To be me, this means, any warlike expeditionary tasks would not be funded and a expeditionary peacekeeping force and a self defence force would be fine.

 

[CBH99]

Unless there is a change, the spending cut is already happening this year, with deeper cuts coming next year.

What kind of masochist are you?

He already said we were going to be bent over WITHOUT LUBE...you trying to get him to start grabbing toys, too?


*I can't tell if I'm violating whatever SHARP is called now for questioning whether your a sub or not, or if I need to run to my CoC because KevinB just threatened me with what some would consider a good time? ...

man I'm confused these days...

 

[CBH99]

This neighbour of mine specifically brought up Singh’s Rolex watch as the reason why she’d never vote for him.

Of all the reasons, that's the one that stuck, eh?

I'll take the win for a win!

 

[CBH99]

To be fair, the LPC spending plan was sustainable under the assumptions they were using.

What assumptions were those? (Genuinely curious)

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Canada’s push to axe $1B from military budget for savings will impact security: defence chief​

Trudeau said Canada will never meet NATO military spending target, leaked intel claims​

NDP against Canada increasing defence spending to hit 'arbitrary' NATO target​

In summary, we should have not been surprised by the PM Trudeau's decision to cut defence spending because if he did, the NDP would not have supported it.

Again, we see domestic politicking triumphing over actual national interests and foreign policy.

The NDP couldn't lead their way out of a paper bag on the world stage (mainly because their party loyalists are anti-Everything (Israel, India, China, US, EU, you name it) so they swing for the infield every chance they can.

Unless it benefits "Canadians" it's wasteful in the minds of the NDP. It completely overlooks the fact that international cooperation benefits Canada far greater than it costs us.

NATO, NORAD, FVEYs all provide a measure of security far greater than anything we could achieve on our own. 2% is the price of admission. Maintaining our presence in the North is the price of admission. Providing combat capable effects on land, air, and sea are the price of admission.

Until we are left holding our own bag for defence, there will always be folks saying "it's too expensive!" It's an investment and like all investments, you often don't realized what it took to grow it.

My grandfather explain it as similiar to planting a tree: it takes 20 years to grow it to maturity and 30 minutes to cut it down. The shade provided lasts longer than the amount of heat it provides in the fire. Temporary heat makes sense if you're cold, but not when you need the shade more.

We need the shade, but the NDP/LPC are content revving the chainsaws none the less.

 

[Kirkhill]

So what was the outcome? U.S. is no longer a shaker and mover in the global economic scene because it has a large -ve % BoT?

I know I should ignore .... I really, really do.

If you owe the bank a billion dollars who has the problem? You or the bank?

China and Russia are making money.
So are Ireland, Norway, Singapore and Australia.
The US and the UK are losing money.
Canada's books are in balance.

China is building a navy.
Russia is waging a war.
Norway is funding Ukraine.
Australia is buying weapons.
Ireland and Singapore are banking their money.
The US and the UK appear to be struggling with the markets and are having difficulty financing all the projects they claim they want.

Canada? With Trillions of everything the market wants to buy?

My non-economist view.

 

[The Bread Guy]

What I am constantly surprised are the seemingly continual string of failures by the fed gov't.

Are the staffers and bureaucrats not doing their work in warning and protecting the leader? Are the staff and bureaucrats incompetent? Are they just sycophants? Are the responsible ones still there and trying to keep mistakes from getting worse - much like the CDS is trying to do within the DND/CAF?

Is the PM's self assurance and arrogance such that he ignores the advice and does what he wants? ...

While the first two points are higher than zero, I suspect the last point may be the main factor at play. Not to mention what his political advisors advise vs. what the subject matter experts advise (I'm guessing he leans more to the former than the latter).

Maybe Minister Anand took a look at the books when she got into her current job and said “whoa - ok we have to cut spending”.

Also to be fair to her, looking at one department vs. looking at all the books are different exercises, yielding different views, as we can see. Then again, I'm guessing (happy to be corrected) she decided how much each gets cut, so she still wears it - and her boss who is letting this happen.

 

[Quirky]

To be me, this means, any warlike expeditionary tasks would not be funded and a expeditionary peacekeeping force and a domestic climate disaster response force would be fine.​

FTFY.

 

[Kirkhill]

But they do serve a purpose - what that is I have no idea. When the big EMP goes up and fries everyone's gadgets....

You will see the return of Vaudeville and Gypsy Rose Lee. You gotta have a gimmick.

 

[Kirkhill]

What I am constantly surprised are the seemingly continual string of failures by the fed gov't.

Are the staffers and bureaucrats not doing their work in warning and protecting the leader? Are the staff and bureaucrats incompetent? Are they just sycophants? Are the responsible ones still there and trying to keep mistakes from getting worse - much like the CDS is trying to do within the DND/CAF?

Is the PM's self assurance and arrogance such that he ignores the advice and does what he wants?

I tend to think that this is due to PM Trudeau's hubris, much like his father. In summary:

L'État, c'est moi (I myself am the nation)​

​

Span of control issues? Katie Telford only has so much bandwidth?

 

[Brad Sallows]

What assumptions were those? (Genuinely curious)

Whatever allowed them to believe that they could keep the rate of debt growth below the rate of GDP growth, thus slowly lessening the debt expressed as a percentage of GDP, thus slowly making the debt (whatever it might happen to be) more "affordable". Also, whatever they happened to believe about price inflation and interest rates.

All the big heads understand perfectly well the general prescription that governments should pay down debt in good times so that they can overspend during bad times, but all the contemporary big heads also want to pretend that someone else's good times should cover the bad times plus whatever extra spending the contemporary big heads want to do. Governments prefer cutting new ribbons today to maintaining and sustaining the programs of the ribbons cut yesterday. NDP have this disease worst of all, seconded by the LPC, and the LPC is dependent on the NDP. So, for today's ribbons we got tax cuts, increased transfers to some individuals, some public dental insurance, public daycare subsidies; and for yesterday's ribbons we watch publicly-funded health care and defence circle the drain.

There is no mystery about how we got to where we are, and there will be no mystery if things get worse. Rather, I'll be surprised if things suddenly get better. We needed 30 years of fiscal responsibility concensus to eliminate the downward slide and barely start moving upward before (mid-80s to mid-10s); there is no reason to believe the LPC is willing to do whatever it takes - meaning, to risk not forming government - to repeat that feat.

 

[Kirkhill]

Unless it benefits "Canadians" it's wasteful in the minds of the NDP. It completely overlooks the fact that international cooperation benefits Canada far greater than it costs us.

How about Khalistanis?

 

[Brad Sallows]

The US and the UK are losing money.

Money is just an exchange medium for wealth. The US and UK are creating wealth faster than they are "losing" it.