Despite all the promises to increase defense spending to not only replace what was shipped off to the Ukraine but to meet the new GDP targets, expect one of two outcomes: either the targets will be perpetually postponed or the definition of “defense spending” will be stretched to include funding for sewage treatment plants and community centers and anything else you might imagine.
In a new analysis released Thursday, the think tank said it expects Canada’s deficit to top $92 billion this fiscal year, given Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan to meet NATO’s defence spending target of two per cent of GDP.
C.D. Howe expects deficit growth to slow after this year but predicts deficits will still average around $78 billion annually over four years — more than double the level forecast by the parliamentary budget officer before the spring federal election.
” … and anything else you might imagine.”
I imagine big salary increases. Especially for officers. Oh, and lots of funding for emergency planning … you know, how to keep the white riff-raff good and suppressed.
It won’t happen. Especially for officers. A Corporal gets his full (maximum) salary after 4 years serving as a corporal (the yearly pay increase are called “incentives”). It’s 12 years for a Captain to get his full pay. The NCMs like to say Captains gets 12 pay raises. It’s the opposite, and if people bothered to read treasury board explaining the incentives policy, they would realize that. The policy basically states that it takes 12 years for a person to perform fully as a Captain (given the breadth of responsibilities etc), wereas it only takes 4 years for a corporal. This is how officers get shafted in the CF.
Of course it will happen – they will contract bombardier to develop a stealth bomber…and SNC (what it’s called now) will do a stealth fighter…
And what happens to the funds will be real stealthy
Where is that self-balancing budget when it’s needed?
The only way it works is if we recognize that modern warfare is mechanized and requires energy to power both combat and logistics, both for us and our allies.
I propose we have the military expedite a top secret geo-strategic infrastructure program to ensure we can keep our forces and allies fueled both during conflicts, and when we wish to apply economic pressure to energy producing bad actors. Of course as a top secret project we will have to bypass the usual public hearings.
Carney already said that the stretch to 5% will include developing our “rare earth” minerals for export. So it’s just accounting tricks all the way around.