I agree that we need to continue to examine our spending, how we ensure that allocated spending gets out the door and allocate additional spending to new and emerging threats.
On that latter point, what we are undertaking now is a defence policy update. What is driving that update are the current and future needs of the Canadian Armed Forces in the current threat environment, which has changed since 2017 and our defence policy of “Strong, Secure, Engaged”.
The unjustifiable, illegal war in Ukraine by Russia is just one example. Cyber-threats are another example. The increasing tensions in the Indo-Pacific are another example. All of these global situations are ones that did not necessarily exist in the same way in 2017 when we put forth our “Strong, Secure, Engaged” policy.
The defence policy update, where we consult with hundreds and hundreds of stakeholders, is part of the next phase of growing the Canadian Armed Forces.