To be very clear, and as you're well aware, in 2017 the government introduced “Strong, Secure, Engaged”, which was a program that involved a number of significant acquisitions. It was an increase in defence spending over a period of several years, from 2017 through to the end of 2026. The plan in “Strong, Secure, Engaged” was to increase defence spending by approximately 70% over that period of time.
There was strong public support for that, because I believe very strongly that Canadians do value very much, first of all, the important role that the Canadian Armed Forces provides in maintaining the national defence and security of our country. I know how appreciative they have been when we've called on the Canadian Armed Forces to assist in response to emergencies, as we talked about last week when we met. I think they understand that Canada has international obligations to NATO, NORAD, and the Indo-Pacific. There's an expectation and there's strong Canadian support for the Canadian Armed Forces.
We've also recognized—and there has been lots of discussion here—that the increase in spending we put in place when we began the program in 2017 does not really match the new threat environments. The world has become an increasingly dangerous place. Since the pandemic, the increasing climate-related disasters, and most importantly the more adversarial and aggressive nature of Russia and China, we know we have to do more. I've attempted to acknowledge at committee previously that we must do more.
Canadians have every expectation that we'll be careful when we're spending their money. That's our job. I also believe very strongly that they also support continued investment in making sure that the Canadian Armed Forces have the tools they need to do the job.