The 2025 federal budget will provide $81 billion over the next five years to “rebuild, rearm, and reinvest in the Canadian Armed Forces.” This includes new equipment, cybersecurity initiatives, billions of dollars in defence infrastructure and the previously announced pay raises for Forces members — which will hopefully address the recruitment and retention problems of the Canadian military in recent years.
To state the obvious, this new defence policy represents a great deal of money. Canada has not seen such an infusion of cash into defence spending since the start of the Cold War.
This significant military buildup, including a dramatic increase in our Reserve Forces from its current level of some 30,000 members to at least 100,000 , is intended to better protect our country. It follows the Liberal Party’s 2025 election commitment to “invest in our reserves and Canadian Rangers to give them the equipment they need to continue protecting our sovereignty and conduct domestic disaster responses that directly helps Canadians.”
This is one area where Prince Edward Island can contribute, as we are the only province without a Canadian Armed Forces base; the Reserve forces are the foundation of the military presence in Prince Edward Island.
The outstanding military tradition of Prince Edward Island includes conflicts from the Boer War to Afghanistan, not to mention the First and Second World Wars (in which a high percentage of Prince Edward Island men and women volunteered for service across all branches), the Cold War and many peacekeeping missions. Not to mention the role played by civilians on the Island, where rationing was introduced in 1942, through volunteer work and countless other contributions — from scrap metal drives, to buying war bonds, to knitting socks for the troops overseas.
Given the strong historical tradition of service, Prince Edward Islanders should do our share in expanding our Reserve Forces.
The defence industrial strategy recently announced by the government to transform our defence industry by placing a priority on Canadian suppliers and supporting Canadian innovation will create new opportunities for Prince Edward Island businesses. Possible work could be awarded to our provincial aerospace industry, the underwater drone company in the eastern part of the province or Montague-based AKA Energy Systems, which is hoping to take part in the construction of systems for the Royal Canadian Navy — growing these businesses and creating more jobs.
The reality, though, is that however much money is spent on defence, we will not be manufacturing tanks or fighter jets in Prince Edward Island. However, a worthwhile expenditure would be to consolidate the nearly 70-year-old Queen Charlotte Armoury and the Brighton Road Compound into a new facility that would assist and grow our reserve forces — with its threefold increase in reserve troops employing more Islanders — and serve as a disaster relief and rapid response centre for Prince Edward Island, eastern New Brunswick and northern Nova Scotia in times of crisis. The cost, upwards of $250 million, would also include the land purchase and would provide the province with a state-of-the-art facility that would last decades.
This new facility would also address existing shortfalls by providing a year-round indoor shooting range and a permanent home for the excellent Prince Edward Island Regiment Museum, furthering its mandate of preserving and communicating Canada’s military history as it relates to the province and instilling in visitors a sense of pride in the contribution of Prince Edward Islanders to the defence of Canadian values. The Prince Edward Island Regiment Museum has been ranked among the top third of museums rated by the Department of National Defence, the only reserve force museum to earn this standing. Currently wedged into cramped quarters at the aging Queen Charlotte Armoury, a revitalized museum would benefit from a larger facility.
It goes without saying that the overriding purpose for any element of defence spending is that it must enhance this country’s security and enable us to meet our commitments to our allies. But we use the term national defence for a reason: all regions of the country must be able to see that their part of Canada has the resources needed for their protection.
The Canadian Armed Forces’ presence in Prince Edward Island should reflect our proud tradition of answering the call when our nation needed us, as well as meeting the security needs of our country in these unsettling times. And military presence in this province requires new infrastructure.
Senator Percy Downe represents Charlottetown in the Senate.