In June, just hours before Canada pledged to raise military spending to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, Prime Minister Mark Carney told CNN that this would cost Canadians an estimated $150 billion a year. 

That’s not a line item—it’s a radical shift in national priorities. 

At the same time, the finance minister has instructed departments to cut spending across the board, starting with 7.5 per cent in 2026–27, 1 per cent the following year, and 15 per cent in 2028–29.  These reductions – if confirmed - will hollow out investments in programs that foster peace, security, and resilience, precisely the ones that prevent conflict before it starts.

Something is deeply out of balance.  We used to be known for diplomacy and development. But today, we’re sending the world a very different message.

Let’s be clear: Canada needs a capable military. But military readiness without meaningful global development is like building a fortress on sinking sand. If we want to prevent war, not just prepare for it, then our investments in development are not optional.  They are essential. 

Here’s the truth: You can’t bomb your way to peace. Every dollar spent on diplomacy and development does more to build security than two spent on defense. That’s not idealism—it’s evidence-based economics. 

When Canada helps build schools and health systems, supports food security, women’s rights and climate resilience, we don’t just alleviate suffering; we tackle the root causes of conflict and forced displacement. We offer hope where despair breeds violence. We build the very global stability that our defence strategy is supposed to protect. 

Failing to invest in development is like trying to mop the floor while the tap is still running. Defence alone cannot fix global instability. And pouring billions into tanks, planes, and submarines—without matching that ambition in foreign aid—means abandoning the very tools that make us safer in the first place.

A recent Lancet study makes this point powerfully: U.S. foreign aid helped save over 90 million lives over the past two decades. Now, with those aid programs being slashed, researchers estimate 14 million preventable deaths by 2030.  if the cuts continue.

This is not theoretical. This is not political spin. This is life and death.

Meanwhile, Canada’s international assistance budget remains under $8 billion annually, or just 0.37 per cent of gross national income. That’s far short of the global benchmark of 0.7%, and nowhere near what our values and ambitions demand. 

With Prime Minister Mark Carney now leading a new chapter in Canadian politics, we have a rare opportunity to reset the narrative.  This is our chance to demonstrate that Canadian sovereignty is defined not by defence spending alone, but by principled action on the world stage. 

The next months will define Canada’s role.  We will have a federal budget this fall, there is a forthcoming foreign policy review, and Brazil is set to host the COP30. These are all opportunities to lead—or to shrink.

Canadians are ready. Abacus Data and other polls consistently show overwhelming support for a world where girls can go to school, where climate action delivers real results, and where international aid is viewed not as a handout, but a smart, strategic investment in a safer, fairer future.

So, let this be the moment Canada chooses courage over caution, principle over politics. Let’s show that when others falter, Canada steps up.

The true measure of a nation isn't just how it defends its borders—but how boldly it stands for humanity.

 

Louis Bélanger – Campaign Director, Bigger Than Our Borders