Canada Unveils Multi-Billion Dollar Defence Strengthening Plan

Ottawa (Web Desk): Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday unveiled a multi-billion-dollar plan aimed at bolstering Canada’s military capabilities and reducing dependence on the United States.

Canada’s first defence industrial strategy, announced by Carney, is built on themes he has emphasized during his tenure, highlighting the need for a stronger, self-reliant military in a shifting global security landscape. “We’ve relied too heavily on our geography and others to protect us,” Carney said, adding that such dependencies “we can no longer sustain.”

Carney has emerged as a prominent critic of the Trump administration, particularly after his remarks at the World Economic Forum, where he warned that the US president had triggered a “rupture” in the rules-based global order. He also responded to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent speech at the Munich Security Conference, contrasting Rubio’s emphasis on defending “Christian nationalism” with Canada’s commitment to civic nationalism and protecting the rights of all citizens.

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The defence strategy outlines an investment exceeding half a trillion Canadian dollars (US$366 billion) in national security, economic growth, and sovereignty. This includes CAN$80 billion in direct government defence spending over five years, CAN$180 billion in defence procurement, and CAN$290 billion in defence and security-related infrastructure over the next decade.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce praised the plan, calling it “unprecedented” in scale and noting that its success will be judged by the strength of the Canadian Armed Forces.

While emphasizing Canadian self-reliance, Carney underscored that the country will maintain international partnerships. Ottawa has deepened ties with the European Union, joining the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, and is exploring defence export opportunities in Asia, including South Korea.

Carney stressed the importance of a domestic defence industrial base to ensure Canada is never “hostage to the decisions of others” and reiterated the need to enforce sovereignty in the Arctic, where melting ice due to climate change is opening new strategic and mineral competition.