Liberal Leader Mark Carney visits Irving Shipyard during his election campaign tour in Halifax, on March 25. He pledged to boost defence spending under a Liberal government.Blair Gable/Reuters
Liberal Leader Mark Carney pledged to buy new submarines, fleets of drones and more heavy-duty icebreakers while hiking pay for Canadian Armed Forces personnel as part of a commitment to raise defence spending.
“We will deliver an unprecedented acceleration of investment in our armed Forces so that we can defend every inch of our sovereign territory, while also helping to support and defend our allies abroad,” Mr. Carney said during a campaign stop in Halifax at Irving shipyard Tuesday.
Asked about whether Canada will cut short its planned 88-plane order of U.S.-made F-35 fighters after a review Mr. Carney ordered upon taking office, the Liberal Leader said right now the government is scrutinizing whether this procurement could generate more investment in Canada. As the Globe recently reported, Lockheed Martin, the U.S. defence giant that builds the F-35 fighter jet, has offered to create more jobs in Canada if Ottawa buys all of the jets it said it would.
“We have alternatives to the F-35 so we will explore those,” Mr. Carney said. “The United States is still a strong ally. It is still a member of NATO, and we see advantages, but actually in all aspects of our procurement, we will be thinking about how to secure Canadians and how to have the maximum benefit for Canadians.”
Mr. Carney declined to offer details on his military spending pledges, including whether a Liberal government would buy 12 diesel-electric submarines as the Royal Canadian Navy hopes, the number of icebreakers or the rate of pay increase for the forces.
He said details would be released when the party’s election platform is released but cautioned he might be less detailed on submarines in order not to prejudice the procurement process.
Mr. Carney as Prime Minister faces pressure from allies to raise Canada’s defence spending to NATO’s target of 2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product. Several allies including the U.S. have said this minimum spending commitment should be higher. During the Liberal leadership race Mr. Carney committed to reach 2 per cent before 2030, at least two years ahead of what predecessor Justin Trudeau has pledged.
He said as prime minister he would also develop a “first class drone capability” that would build and deploy uncrewed airborne and seaborne vehicles “to defend our Arctic, our undersea infrastructure, our borders, and our allies.”
Mr. Carney also pledged to rewrite the mandate of the Canadian Coast Guard to include maritime surveillance to secure Canadian coasts. “We need to update their mission to face changing realities to protect our sovereignty and counter criminal activity, like the trafficking of illicit drugs.”
Whenever possible, he said, defence contractors will be required to use Canadian steel and aluminum. “We will ensure as much as possible that Canadian companies benefit from Canadian procurement – an end to sending dollar after dollar south of the border to a nation that has threatened us,” he said, referring to the U.S. and President Donald Trump’s trade actions and talk of annexing Canada.
“They will use Canadian steel and aluminum. They will use Canadian suppliers and companies. They will use and employ Canadian workers,” he said.
He said a Carney government would commit to all orders underway through the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) which is building eight Arctic/ Offshore Patrol Ships and 15 River Class destroyers.
Mr. Carney said the Liberals would end the 14,500 staff shortage in the Canadian Armed Forces by “modernizing our recruitment process, giving all CAF members a well-deserved raise, building new on-base housing, and improving access to doctors, mental health services, and childcare.”
Finally, the Liberals would “partner with our allies on procurement for the next generation of aircraft.”
Conservative Party defence critic James Bezan said Mr. Carney’s defence announcement lacks sufficient detail.
He noted Mr. Carney wouldn’t say whether he would commit to buying 12 submarines as the navy wants. “They’ve announced more heavy icebreakers, but cannot announce a number, a cost, or who will build them,” Mr. Bezan said, adding the same goes for Mr. Carney’s promise of a pay raise for soldiers, sailors and aviators.
“Under the Carney Liberals, our warships are rusting out, our fighter jets are worn out, our army has been hollowed out and entire air squadrons are being shut down because they don’t have enough personnel,” said Mr. Bezan.