Why is Canadian military spending being cut so much?

Practically all Liberal governments of the past—and many Conservative ones too—have carved large amounts out of the defence budget to cut down on deficits. Recently, though, things have seemed different. read more

Defence has been cut substantially in the past, most notably after the end of the Cold War, when every NATO country’s forces were cut back massively for reasons that should be obvious to even the most hard-hearted of hardliners, and it’s certainly true that Canadians prefer money to be spent alleviating social problems in society at large, but we’re certainly not in a phase of cuts right now. read more

Two per cent: The amount of GDP that NATO has long asked its members to spend on defence. 2009: Canadian defence spending peaks at 1.4 per cent of GDP under the federal Conservative government. This also marks the peak of Canada’s military involvement in Afghanistan. 28: Total number of NATO members. read more