QUESTION PERIOD — National Defence
Military Spending
May 5, 2026
Government leader, one of the reports of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, or PBO, on the spring fiscal update is warning that your government’s fiscal projections don’t include all of the announced spending related to defence. The PBO estimates that meeting the 5% NATO commitment will require core defence spending to reach $159 billion by 2035-36. We all recognize the importance of funding our military.
Senator Moreau, why is the government making promises that will clearly not respect their fiscal anchor?
With all due respect to the question, the Prime Minister has announced that Canada and NATO allies have agreed to a new defence investment pledge of 5% of the annual GDP by 2035 to ensure our collective security. This commitment remains strong.
We actually have already attained the 2% defence spending target this year, which was a projection for a few years to come, so the government is strongly committed to attaining 5% by 2035.
The question was about the fiscal anchor and respecting the expenditure, but I’ll move on.
You’ll recall that last year the Prime Minister shifted the Canadian Coast Guard from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans over to the Department of National Defence, so that is not new spending; that’s shifting old spending. Are you aware of any other expenditures related to defence that are being shifted rather than creating new spending?
Well, the investment that the government has made in defence is unprecedented. There is no one government, Conservative or even Liberal, that has spent more on defence and our military. Personally, I’m quite proud of it, being from a military family, and I think Canadians agree with that and are quite supportive of the government’s investment in Canadian security.
