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Fiddling around: Liberal government still has no clear plan to spend the $9bn it has announced
Jul 16, 2025
Does this mean that the Liberal government still has no clear plan to spend the $9 billion that it has announced? We’re in this mess in the first place because governments have been fiddling around with the numbers in order to meet targets, but they are not actually doing things. Can you confirm unequivocally that Canada will, in fact, meet the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defence by April 2026, even though the Prime Minister has just accepted this new 5% benchmark? -- This video has automatic dubbed versions. Go to Setting / Audio track and select your preferred language among the following: - English - Dutch - French - German - Hindi - Indonesian - Japanese - Korean - Polish - Portuguese - Spanish Thanks for watching!
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0:00
My question is for the government leader
0:01
in the Senate. The parliamentary budget
0:03
officer has stated that he has received
0:05
little concrete information regarding
0:07
the military spending increase announced
0:09
on June 9 and is therefore unable to
0:11
confirm whether Canada will actually
0:13
meet the NATO target of 2% by 2026. And
0:16
yet prime minister the prime minister
0:18
has fully endorsed the new 5% of GDP
0:21
benchmark discussed at the NATO summit
0:23
already pointing to existing
0:25
expenditures that Canada could count on
0:27
towards that percentage. How can the
0:29
Liberal government commit to such an
0:30
ambitious target estimated at $150
0:33
billion per year when it cannot even
0:36
provide the PBO with credible evidence
0:38
that it will meet the 2% that it already
0:41
has promised?
0:42
Good question,
0:43
Senator Gold.
0:45
Thank you for the question. Uh the prime
0:48
minister has been very clear that faced
0:50
with the changing circumstances
0:53
that Canada faces, it is necessary to
0:56
make up for decades of underinvestment
0:59
in our military uh to increase our
1:02
commitment to our own sovereignty and
1:04
the defense thereof. And in that regard,
1:08
the prime minister uh joined other NATO
1:11
allies in setting a target and a
1:14
commitment to reach 5% over I believe
1:18
the next 10 years. Uh it's important to
1:21
recall colleagues uh that a part of that
1:24
uh amount that percentage um that is
1:28
1.5% will be dedicated to investments in
1:31
critical defense and security related
1:34
matters whether that's new airports,
1:36
ports, telecommunication networks and
1:39
the government is committed to reaching
1:41
those goals.
1:42
Senator Hus. So, Senator Gold, does this
1:45
mean that the Liberal government still
1:47
has no clear plan to spend the $9
1:49
billion that it has announced? And the
1:51
reason why we're in this mess in the
1:53
first place is that governments have
1:54
been fiddling around with the numbers in
1:56
order to meet targets, but not actually
1:58
doing things. And can you confirm
1:59
unequivocally that Canada will in fact
2:02
meet the NATO target of spending 2% of
2:04
GDP on defense by April 2026, even as
2:07
the prime minister has just accepted
2:09
this new 5% benchmark?
2:12
Senator on gold there
2:14
the government has been clear that it
2:16
intends to reach that 2% target and uh I
2:18
don't need to add anything more to what
2:21
the prime minister has already said. Uh
2:23
the regrettable fact is that there are
2:25
many reasons for which uh we have fallen
2:28
behind our our own needs with and and uh
2:31
this government is committed to
2:33
addressing those which includes amongst
2:36
other things the fact that year overyear
2:38
the defense department does not indeed
2:41
even uh spend all the money that's
2:43
allocated in the budgetary process.
2:45
Thank you speaker. My question is for
2:47
Senator Gold leader of the government in
2:48
the Senate. Um, Senator Jonathan Moore,
2:51
assistant uh, Deputy Minister and Chief
2:53
Financial Officer at the Department of
2:54
National Defense, stated that 60% of the
2:57
Canadian Coast Guard budget is already
2:59
included in the military spending Canada
3:01
reports to NATO. Can you tell us since
3:04
when has this been the case and on what
3:05
basis a civilian unarmed organization
3:08
can be counted on to such an extent in
3:10
our defense expenditures?
3:13
Senator Gold.
3:15
Well, thank you for your for your
3:16
question. The Canadian Coast Guard uh
3:19
plays a very important role uh in Canada
3:22
and for Canadians analogous to roles
3:25
that similar organizations play in other
3:28
parts of the world. Every country is
3:29
different, has different structures and
3:31
different uh uh ways of of which it is
3:35
organized. But as we look to the future
3:38
and especially to the future of in our
3:41
north, our vast borders uh on in
3:46
northern Canada, the Coast Guard will
3:49
play an everinccreasing role uh in
3:52
protecting Canadians from risk,
3:54
affirming our our sovereignty uh and
3:57
playing its part along with other uh
3:59
players uh in uh in the Canadian
4:02
government family uh to to protect and
4:06
defend Canadians.
4:08
Senator Wells.
4:10
Thank you, Speaker. Senator Gold. Um, if
4:12
60% of the Coaster's budget is already
4:14
being counted, and according to Mr.
4:16
Moore, only an additional portion could
4:18
be added, then why did the prime
4:20
minister present the integration of the
4:22
Coast Guard as a decisive step towards
4:24
reaching the 2% NATO defense spending
4:26
target? Was this simply political
4:27
theater, an accounting exercise, or
4:30
actual action with an asset that's not
4:33
equipped for such a role?
4:35
Senator Gold.
4:37
Well, respectfully, Senator, and thank
4:40
you for your question. I I'm not sure
4:41
that any of you the answers you offered
4:43
me are quite necessarily uh correct um
4:47
or capture the intent of this
4:50
government. Uh this government
4:51
recognizes that in too many ways uh our
4:55
military
4:56
uh infrastructure whether physical or
4:59
human resources uh uh needs to change
5:03
and improve to be up to the task. Uh and
5:06
this is one area where uh uh work will
5:10
need to be done and will be done in that
5:12
area.
5:15
Senator Martin
5:18
leader, how do you explain such a
5:20
contradiction between on one hand the
5:23
prime minister speaking of a strategic
5:25
integration of the coast guard into our
5:27
military capabilities and on the other
5:30
the vice chief of the defense staff
5:32
supported by other senior officials
5:34
stating that there are absolutely no
5:37
plans to integrate it into the armed
5:39
forces. It seems the prime minister's
5:41
office and the department of national
5:43
defense can't even agree on this
5:45
fundamental point. What is the truth
5:48
leader?
5:49
Senator Gold.
5:51
Well, thank you for your question and
5:53
for allowing me to elaborate further on
5:56
your colleagues earlier question. Uh
5:58
this government is moving quickly to
6:00
address the challenges that Canada is
6:02
facing. Uh it has uh this government has
6:05
made uh very very clear announcements uh
6:10
that frankly have deviated from the way
6:12
in which governments previous
6:14
governments over many decades have
6:17
operated. Certainly with regard to
6:19
defense and the the prime minister and
6:23
his and cabinet members working with the
6:26
uh others in in in uh in in our military
6:29
and in the coast guard will work
6:31
together uh to uh best uh uh chart a
6:36
path whereby the coast guard, the
6:38
military and other important
6:40
institutions in our nation can work
6:43
together to strengthen our defense and
6:45
protect our sovereignty.
6:47
Senator Martin
6:49
will admit this con confusion with the
6:52
prime minister promising a coast guard
6:54
under defense to reach the 2% target
6:56
while Lieutenant General Kelsey
6:58
insisting it will remain civilian and
7:01
unarmed. Canadians have a right to know
7:04
what exactly is the additional Coast
7:06
Guard budget the government intends to
7:09
submit to NATO.
7:11
Senator Gold,
7:12
the government, the prime minister has
7:14
just finished his meetings in NATO. Work
7:17
will need to be done and properly so
7:20
even at an expedited the expedited pace
7:22
we're expecting and witnessing in this
7:25
government. And I have every expectation
7:28
that the uh uh budget uh figures will be
7:32
presented in due course.
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