Thank you for the question.
I want to start where you ended and say: Make no mistake, when the Conservatives were in power, defence spending dipped below 1%. That's a fact. Under our government, we are continuing to increase defence spending by 70% under “Strong, Secure, Engaged” over a nine-year period. That is $8 billion in budget 2022 and $38 billion under NORAD modernization.
Mr. Chair, those are tangible additions to our defence spending. Our defence spending is on an upward trajectory, and we will continue to do the work necessary to spend allocated funding and get projects out the door.
I want to point to the urgent operational requirement procurements that I announced earlier this year. We are investing in portable anti-tank missile systems, counter uncrewed aircraft systems and air defence systems. As we build to brigade level in Latvia, we are going to need these systems. We initiated the process to procure these items to enhance our capabilities there. That's what I'm talking about—ensuring that we are utilizing allocated funding for the benefit of our defence and collective defence, as well as our NATO contributions.