What are Canada’s major political parties promising when it comes to defence, sovereignty, and foreign policy—and where do key questions and challenges remain?

In today’s Expert Series episode, Vincent Rigby compares the two major party platforms on defence and security issues. Together, we highlight three crucial areas from both aspects of the Liberal and Conservative platforms: the commitment to 2% defence spending, sovereignty, and Canada’s foreign policy.

The first of these issues is the “black and white” commitment to NATO 2%. While both parties have committed to meeting NATO 2% by 2030 with differing approaches, Rigby cautions that guidelines will change in coming years and that 2% may no longer be sufficient without long-term planning to increase defence spending.

The second aspect we discuss is the platforms’ focus on sovereignty. Amidst plans for funding directed towards the Arctic through procurement or CFB development, Rigby cautions stepping away from American cooperation and negating the F-35 deal. Though he recommends the diversification and cooperation with the Indo-Pacific and Europe, this diversification cannot be done without bilateral cooperation.

To close our discussion, we explore the creation of a foreign policy plan that centers Canadians engagement in humanitarian aid. Rigby heavily cautions against cutting funding to UNAID and recommends efficient and well-thought-out foreign policy to guide Canadian relations amidst an evolving international landscape.

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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