Trump’s tariff mania shoots holes in economic case for buying F-35s
Competing bid from Sweden would bring production, engineering and maintenance of fighter jets to Canada—if it’s still on the table
Defence pledges have unprecedented electoral spotlight, but more ambition may be needed to match allies: experts
Amid annexation threats from United States President Donald Trump, Canada’s major national parties have put a spotlight on defence pledges in the early days of the election campaign, but questions loom as to whether the commitments are sufficient to match the burgeoning peril. Prime Minister Mark Carney, running for a seat in Nepean, Ont., has remarked that Canada’s sovereignty faces...
Canada studies how to join Ukraine peacekeeping force — including end to training mission in country
Detailed planning for a potential "coalition of the willing" peacekeeping mission to Ukraine is expected to kick off this week among Western military commanders, says the Canadian general in charge of overseas and domestic operations.The notion of a peacekeeping force is being met internationally with skepticism as Ukraine and Russia meet indirectly to hammer out a limited ceasefire.
National defence is often an afterthought in Canadian elections. Not this time
Trump's annexation threats have upended the notion that there are no votes in defence. Issues of sovereignty, national security and defence — often footnotes, or even ignored outright in federal election campaigns — are likely to dominate the political landscape over the next five weeks as Canadians march toward the April 28 vote.
Three in four Canadians want to increase defense spending to at least two per cent
Close to seven in ten Canadians prefer increasing defense spending to reach the current two per cent NATO ally target (69%) of the GDP, followed by those who want to maintain our current level of spending at 1.4% (13%) and those who prefer to increase spending to a potential new five per cent (nine per cent). Four per cent prefer...
Cancelling the F-35 deal would be ‘cutting our nose off to spite our face,’ says former senior military official
A former chief of the defence staff says 'the ramifications of cancelling the F-35 purchase threatens to hurt Canada more than it would hurt the U.S.'
Australia's 'biggest defence export' was meant to go to the US first, but Canada snuck past Donald Trump
For months, senior officials have been discussing exporting Australia's world-leading radar technology JORN to the United States, but after Donald Trump's return to the White House, Canada saw an opportunity and leapt. Overnight, new Canadian leader Mark Carney spoke to his counterpart, Anthony Albanese, then flew to his country's Arctic territory of Nunavut to announce a $6.5 billion high-tech Australian...
Only 40% of air force inventory ready for action as Canada rethinks its F-35 contract
Mixed fleets and avoiding American firms come with their own challenges. Only 40 per cent of Canada's air force inventory is considered serviceable and ready to fight, according to a new military-wide readiness document obtained by CBC News. And the uncertainty about the availability and age of the various fleets of aircraft is expected to grow in light of the...
NDP will build F-35s in Canada, invest in Canada's North and Arctic sovereignty
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced Sunday his plan to repatriate Canada’s F-35 contract so the jets are built in Canada, not the United States. Singh also announced a plan for new investments in Arctic sovereignty and defence.
Canada reconsidering F-35 purchase amid tensions with Washington, says minister
Canada is actively looking at potential alternatives to the U.S.-built F-35 stealth fighter and will hold conversations with rival aircraft makers, Defence Minister Bill Blair said late Friday, just hours after being reappointed to the post as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's new cabinet. The remarks came one day after Portugal signalled it was planning to ditch its acquisition...
U.S. pressure ‘lighting a fire’ under Ottawa to get major defence procurement projects moving, says expert, as trade war escalates
Amid the tariff tiff with the U.S., 'there’s a sudden realization that...Canada may actually be on its own,' which may be speeding things up, says Adam Lajeunesse.
Feds sign $8 billion preliminary contract for new navy destroyers while Parliament sidelined
Eventual price tag for trio of warships expected to top $22.2 billion. Amid a flurry of last minute senate and judicial appointments, the Liberal government quietly announced Saturday it has signed an $8 billion implementation contract for the construction of the Royal Canadian Navy's new destroyers. It is only the first step in the long-delayed process to replace the navy's...
Military planners map out restructuring the Canadian Army, says top soldier
Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright says army is examining everything from 'headquarters right down to the unit level.' The Canadian Army is about to embark on a wholesale restructuring in the face of growing demands for troops and equipment both overseas and at home, says the country's top soldier. A military modernization team is currently studying the problem against the backdrop of...
Canada looking to help develop sensors for 'Golden Dome' missile defence, U.S. general tells conference
Canada's participation in U.S. President Donald Trump's planned "Golden Dome" missile-defence system for North America is limited to research involving the detection of incoming threats, the U.S. commander for NORAD told a defence conference on Wednesday. Gen. Greg Guillot told the annual Conference of Defence Associations Institute annual forum in Ottawa that he and his staff are excited about the...
It may provoke Trump, but Canada should cancel the purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S.
As U.S. negotiators pushed for concessions on Ukrainian critical minerals last week, they reportedly threatened to cut off access to SpaceX’s Starlink communications satellites. It was a powerful threat, since Ukraine’s military depends on Starlink for front line communications and drone operations. Here in North America, President Donald Trump is threatening to make Canada the 51st state, motivated – according...
Sending Canadian troops to Ukraine 'on the table' under possible peace deal: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not ruling out sending Canadian troops to Ukraine as part of a possible peace deal.Trudeau is in Kyiv with a dozen other world leaders to mark the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A 100-day plan for the next PM to hit Canada’s defence spending targets within one year
As the United States retreats from being a unipolar power, the prevailing global order is at a crossroads. For Canada, it’s time to start thinking about what comes next and what it means for Canadian policy. The Hub is running a new essay series to grapple with these seismic changes and offer a new clear-headed direction for Canadian foreign policy...
Military now accepting recruits with asthma, ADHD and other conditions amid staffing shortage
Surgeon general says 'any and all conditions are on the table.' As the Canadian Armed Forces continue to try and dig out of a deep recruitment hole, they're starting to give new recruits with medical conditions a shot at joining the military rather than automatically turning them away. Maj.-Gen. Scott Malcolm, the military's surgeon general, says the forces will now...
Canada’s Arctic will be a ‘tremendous vulnerability,’ Bannon says
At the America’s biggest annual Republican gathering, Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to Donald Trump, is hosting his War Room talk show from the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Convention. Dozens of people surrounded his CPAC set to watch his broadcast and to snap selfies with the man who helped first install Trump in the Oval Office in 2016...
Military can’t say if uptick in applications since Trump’s return connected to his threats, amid push to bolster recruitment
The Canadian Armed Forces is on track to meet its recruitment goal for the year, thanks in part to an uptick in applications in the month since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House. While senior military officials stopped short of attributing the influx over the last month to any specific factor, they did not rule out the...
Top general says military relationship with U.S. is solid as Trump's threats continue
The country's top military commander delivered a keep calm and carry on message on Wednesday in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex Canada. Gen. Jennie Carignan says the military-to-military relationship between the two countries is solid and has not shown the signs of the political strain that has racked the two nations. "The relationship that...
Germany and Norway offer Canada early access to new submarines in pitch to join project
A joint German-Norwegian project to build new diesel-electric submarines is pitching Canada to join the program, with one of the selling points being that Ottawa would get early access to a boat on the initial production line so it could meet targets for acquiring these new vessels. In September, Canada formally began looking for up to 12 new under-ice capable...
Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada working hard to meet NATO spending target
Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada is working hard to accelerate its defence spending to get to the two per cent threshold that it has committed to as part of NATO.
Poilievre revives ‘use it or lose it’ Arctic plan. Hopefully it’s not already lost
Canada’s hold on the Arctic is, in the words of former defence chief Wayne Eyre, 'tenuous' — and it is likely to become more so with Trump in office
Poilievre promises a military base in Iqaluit, would cut foreign aid to pay for it
A Conservative government would built a permanent military base in Nunavut and pay for it by "dramatically cutting" Canada's foreign aid budget, Leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday in Iqaluit. Speaking at a press conference Poilievre said CFB Iqaluit would serve as a base for Royal Canadian Air Force operations defending Canada's Arctic and for search and rescue missions. He said...
Poilievre pledges Arctic military base, naval icebreakers if party forms government
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is pledging, if his party forms government, to build a military base in Canada’s Arctic, buy two polar icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy and double the size of the Canadian Rangers patrol group responsible for upper reaches of the North. Mr. Poilievre is scheduled to unveil this pledge Monday morning in the Arctic city of...
Canadian warship commander relieved of duty due to ‘loss of confidence’
The commander of a Canadian warship deployed to the Indo-Pacific region has been relieved of duty effective immediately due to “loss of confidence,” the Royal Canadian Navy announced Friday. A brief statement from Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee says Cmdr. Adriano Lozer was removed from his command of HMCS Ottawa “to ensure effective leadership” of the frigate. “The incidents that gave rise...
Chrystia Freeland to set aggressive timeline for 2% defence spending by 2027
Liberal leadership hopeful Chrystia Freeland is expected to outline an aggressive plan to reach Canada’s NATO defence spending targets by 2027.The former finance minister and deputy prime minister is expected to lay out her plan to boost defence spending to two per cent of Canada’s GDP in just two years on Thursday.
Mark Carney pledges to beat Trudeau's target date for meeting NATO spending benchmark
Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney has pledged to hit Canada's NATO defence spending target by the end of the decade — two years ahead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's schedule. “My government would work to reach two per cent of GDP in defence spending by the end of this decade, and pull our full weight in NATO,” Carney said Wednesday...
Mark Carney committing to hit 2% NATO defence spending benchmark in 2030
Trudeau government's deadline to meet target is 2032, but defence minister's goal is ASAP. Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney is expected to announce on Wednesday that if he becomes prime minister he's committed to reaching NATO's military investment benchmark of two per cent of gross domestic product by the end of 2030, CBC News has learned. Carney's commitment to defence...
The Arctic Submarine Narrative
This summer, the Government of Canada confirmed its intention to procure up to 12 conventionally powered submarines to replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) aging Victoria-class fleet.
Canada must take ‘responsibility’ for its sovereignty, defence chief says
Canada’s chief of the defence staff says the next prime minister needs to “pay attention to our defence” and take responsibility for Canada’s territorial integrity, pointing to other countries whose “sovereignties have been breached these past few years.” U.S. President Donald Trump’s complaints about Canada’s military spending and capabilities have underscored the need for Ottawa to prioritize defence, though Gen...
Defence minister accelerates 2% NATO spending timeline to 2027 amid pressure from Trump
Blair says accelerated timeline for defence spending 'absolutely achievable.' Facing U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing criticism about military spending, Defence Minister Bill Blair says it's "absolutely achievable" within two years for Canada to meet NATO's military investment benchmark of two per cent of gross domestic product. That timeline is about six years earlier than what the prime minister announced and...
Trump says U.S. will ask all NATO member countries to boost defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday the United States will be asking all member countries of NATO — which includes Canada — to increase military spending to 5 per cent of annual economic output. Such a requirement of members of the western military alliance would require a steep increase in budgetary expenditures for Canada. Canada is still a laggard in...
Canadian military ready to deploy at border if needed: top soldier
Canada’s top soldier says the military is prepared to deploy helicopters or surveillance equipment to help secure the border with the United States if asked.U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened 25-per-cent tariffs on goods from Canada as early as Feb. 1 over his concerns the country has failed to stem illegal migration and fentanyl smuggling into American territory.
Defence minister sidesteps watchdog's call to compensate military's eyes and ears in Afghanistan
Defence Minister Bill Blair is dismissing calls from his department's watchdog to offer immediate compensation, and physical and psychological care, to a group of former combat advisers denied health benefits, despite playing a pivotal role in Canada's Afghanistan military mission, CBC News has learned. Robyn Hynes, interim ombud for the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces...
Canada’s new top soldier says ‘absolutely possible’ to accelerate defence spending timeline
Canada’s new chief of the defence staff says there are “absolutely” ways the federal government could speed up its defence-spending timeline to meet its NATO commitments sooner than the current 2032 target. “It’s absolutely possible, and this is what we have been working on since I’ve come on board,” Gen. Jennie Carignan said in an interview on CTV Power Play...
Chinese-Russian air co-operation has Norad's "full attention"
The head of the North American Aerospace Defence Command says Chinese and Russian air co-operation in the Arctic has Norad's "full attention."Those two countries for the first time staged a joint patrol in the Arctic near the coast of Alaska last July.
How Canada can reach NATO’s two per cent target–and quickly
Canada is finally saying the right things about meeting NATO’s defence-spending target of 2 per cent of GDP by 2032. Defence Minister Bill Blair has even indicated that he’s prepared to reach the target sooner. But no new defence spending was included in the Liberals’ fall economic statement, which casts serious doubt on Ottawa’s sense of urgency. Donald Trump’s re-election...
Poilievre’s Conservatives say they would adopt Trudeau government’s military spending plan
The opposition Conservatives say they will maintain defence budget increases planned under the current Liberal government if they take power, without making equivalent cuts under their proposed “dollar-for-dollar” spending cap.
Canada 'falling so consistently short' on defence spending has hurt standing on world stage, but improving: U.S. ambassador
U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen says while Canada's defence spending is going in the right direction, the federal government's persistent failure to meet NATO targets has been damaging to the country's reputation on the world stage. Canada is one of the few countries that has yet to meet the alliance's agreed-upon goal to spend two per cent of GDP...