Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all members of the Standing Committee on National Defence. I'm grateful for the opportunity to come before you today and share with you some recent news that I believe will be very impactful.
Today, as you've already mentioned, Mr. Chair, I'm joined by my deputy minister, Bill Matthews; our chief of the defence staff, General Wayne Eyre; our chief financial officer, Cheri Crosby; our assistant deputy minister for policy, Peter Hammerschmidt; associate deputy minister for materiel, Nancy Tremblay; and the chief of our Communications Security Establishment, Caroline Xavier.
One week ago, the Prime Minister and I released Canada's new defence policy entitled “Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada's Defence”. We developed this policy in recognition of a world that has changed significantly since we launched our previous defence policy in 2017.
Across the globe, we've seen the return of strategic competition. Authoritarian states like Russia, China and beyond are all vying for power and influence, and they have demonstrated that they're not afraid to go against conventions or international law in these pursuits. The ripples are lapping at our shores here in Canada as well, and these threats, combined with the additional demands on CAF members because of climate change, have made it clear that we need to do more to protect our country and our citizens from these geopolitical flashpoints.
In response to these challenges, we've developed a comprehensive new plan that builds on “Strong, Secure, Engaged”, in which I know all of the members of this committee are well versed.
Through this plan, we will see our defence spending increase by an additional $8.1 billion over the next five years and $73 billion over the next 20 years. This will translate into 1.76% of GDP to be spent on defence by 2029-30, which is a significant step towards reaching our NATO commitment of 2%. By 2030, our government will have almost tripled defence spending from 2014-15.
We developed this policy based on extensive consultation with the Canadian public, with indigenous and Inuit partners, with industry, with parliamentarians, with defence experts and with our allies and our partners.
Based on what we have heard, we're committing to acquire an array of new and upgraded equipment to defend our country and our continent and to ensure we can continue supporting our allies and partners around the world. Many of these investments are critical to bolstering the CAF's presence in the north, which is warming at four times the global average as a result of climate change and is of increasing interest to both allies and adversaries alike.
Job number one is ensuring Canada's sovereignty is well protected, specifically in the Arctic and our northern regions. To get this done, we are making a series of focused investments in the Arctic and continental security. These will include $1.4 billion to acquire specialized maritime sensors in order to conduct ocean surveillance; $370 million for airborne early warning aircraft; $18.4 billion to acquire a new fleet of tactical helicopters; and $218 million for northern operational support hubs.
We will invest in multi-use infrastructure that can support CAF operations and will also contribute to the needs of our territorial governments, indigenous people and northern communities, so we can provide the CAF with the necessary equipment and northern communities with that valuable infrastructure. We will work with first nations, Métis and Inuit in true partnership and consultation.
We have also committed to building upon our $38.6-billion investment in NORAD modernization, which we announced in 2022. We are working with the U.S. to bolster our continental defence capabilities. In order to stay agile on the international stage, we're investing in capabilities. We need to be a strong NATO ally, and that will allow us to maintain a persistent presence in the Indo-Pacific.
We will be strong at home so that we can be strong around the world.
This will include $9.9 billion to improve the sustainment of our naval fleets. It's going to allow us to extend the life of our Halifax-class frigates while we work through the development and procurement of the new surface combatant fleet.
We are investing $9.4 billion to build more artillery ammunition here in Canada. We are investing both in industry—$300 million in this plan—and the certainty of long-term contracts through the $9.4 billion in order to provide those contracts. That's exactly what industry told us they required in order to respond to this urgent need. We are also exploring options to modernize our artillery weapons and to upgrade or replace our tank and LAV fleets.
We will continue expanding our presence and influence in non-traditional domains like space and cyber, including through a new CAF cyber command, and better integrate the CAF and the Communications Security Establishment into a unified team to support Canadian interests.
On top of these planned investments in equipment and infrastructure for our people, “Our North, Strong and Free” commits our institution to engage in the business of defence differently. We want to improve and deepen relationships with Canada's defence industry, because defence policy is also industrial policy. Ramping up our production is vital, because production is in fact deterrence, and it supports thousands of good jobs across the country.
We'll also undertake a review of our defence and national security policies every four years to make sure they are adequately meeting the moment.
None of this work is possible without our people, which is why we will further our efforts to build a safer, more supportive and more inclusive environment for our people and to bolster recruitment and retention. This policy supports our members through a $100-million investment to improve child care access for CAF members and families and almost $300 million to improve military housing—building new housing and rehabilitating existing structures.
To get more people into uniforms faster, we're going to streamline our recruitment processes and, to attract and retain talented people across Canada, we'll continue to do the critical work of cultural change to create a CAF that more accurately reflects a more inclusive Canada.
Finally, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, this policy is about building up the CAF and its capabilities so that it can meet new and emerging challenges. It will equip our military with the necessary tools needed to protect the Arctic, to defend Canada and to preserve the Canadian values that previous generations fought so hard for.
In response to these global threats—threats increasingly felt in here in Canada—we have said that we need to do more, and we will do more. These are challenging times, without a doubt, but we will meet the moment.
Thanks very much, Mr. Chair, for your indulgence.