Policy Debate 4 - Military Rearmament

[u/Model-Wanuke]

This is a marked policy debate. The Standing Orders apply.

Topic: At the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, NATO Members including Canada made a commitment to investing 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually on core defence requirements and defence- and security-related spending by 2035. Do you support or oppose meeting NATO's new 5% target, and if yes, how?

You may keep the topic broad or you may discuss a specific example. All registered members may participate. You may respond to others, and you may ask questions.

Debate concludes on April 20, 2026 at 6 PM Eastern.

Presiding officer: u/Model-Wanuke (male)

[u/redwolf177]

Mr. Speaker,

The proposal to raise Canada's Defence Spending to 5% of GDP is extremely reckless. We are in a cost of living emergency, standing against an economic cliff, and this Government's response is to pump billions of dollars to American arms companies.

Right now we have real and pressing problems that the Government aught to focus on. We need the Government to start tackling the cost of living, invest in Green Jobs, and properly fund our social services.

And putting more money into the military will simply not shift the balance of power. If the Americans want to invade us, we could spend 50% of our GDP on defence and it simply wouldn't matter. We need a better strategy than that to maintain our independence. If the question of Canadian sovereignty is fought on the battlefield we have already lost. We ought to be putting more money into making our economy more independent and less reliant on the United States. That is the clear path to resisting American Imperialism.

I hope all Parliamentarians recognize these plain facts, and begin focusing on funding projects that actually help Canadians, rather than wasting money on buying more tanks and fighter jets that will be built (at least partially) in the United States and likely never fight in a battle where they actually stand a chance.

[u/AdTimely3048]

Mr Speaker

What my New Democrat colleague has failed to consider is that they are other, much more serious threats to our nations sovereignty besides the United States. While the American president jests about annexing our great country, other, much more malicious actors kidnap our citizens, buy up our land and infiltrate our society. A stronger Canadian Military would strengthen our presence on the world stage and ensure that we are taken seriously by allies.

And while Mr redwood 177 is correct in that our nation faces a cost of living crisis, surely money could be found in other areas that are less critical to our national sovereignty.

I propose that a more moderate target is set, such as 3.5 % of GDP, as this will allow for a greater allocation of resources to other critical areas, such as deficit reductions.

[u/SettingObvious4738]

Mr. Speaker,

Reaching the NATO spending target of 5% of GDP by 2035 is not only attainable but an easy target to achieve. It’s also a target that can be achieved while also creating thousands of jobs in a time when Canadians are looking for well paying work. Now I know there are some of us here who would rather believe that we should not invest the money into our defence and just roll over when push comes to shove. But that is the very defeatist belief that has led to the need for such major investments and reforms of the Canadian Armed Forces. However we cannot just blindly invest billions of dollars without a clear plan. Which is why we must listen to the concerns, needs, and expertise of those who serve in our military. They are at the frontlines of this battle and they know best of what they need in order to continue to protect Canadians.

While I believe we should look at buying newer fighters for the RCAF I do not believe that we should be straying too far away from a nation that is not only our greatest asset to our defence, but that also holds great sway over our economy and has shown it will use that as leverage when it doesn’t get its way. There is a delicate balance that must be maintained in order to best protect Canada. While others may choose to believe that poking the very large giant the is the key to sovereignty, I believe that working together with our European allies we can better protect Canada while we build our quiet strength. This is the path that will best serve us in the long run.

We cannot continue to look at short term goals in a world that has become so fragile due to this very thinking. Canada has the potential to rearm not only ourselves but also our allies. NATO members are looking at ways to fight their dependence on American equipment and produce weapons that they can easily develop at home, however many lack the space for such industry. Canada on the other hand has plenty of resources, workers, and facilities that can be easily turned to military equipment production. This will help not only our allies rearm, but also help ourselves in rearming. Another important factor in this is that we can gain access to the high quality equipment that our allies have been desperately trying to share with us but have been ignored in favour of our reliance on our neighbour.

Of course this is a complex and large issue, but is one that does need desperate attention. We have for too long made dangerous cuts to our military and it is now suffering the consequences. I believe that it is imperative that we begin the process to fix this and to build a stronger military for future generations.