Chapter 5 · 5.1 Defending Canada
Fulfilling our NATO commitments
No cost line
No line of its own in the chapter cost table. Announced in the text without its own line in the chapter cost table: regulatory, already funded, or costed elsewhere. Amounts in the text below may be previously announced, funded from existing resources, or financing rather than budgetary cost.
What the budget says
“In March 2026, the Prime Minister announced that Canada's defence spending reached 2% of GDP, with more than $65 billion spent in 2025-26, the single largest annual investment in generations.”
Budget 2026, p. 265 (PDF p. 281)
Amounts named in the text
Stated amounts can cover different periods, cash or accrual bases, previously announced money and loans. They are not additive with the cost line above.
- $65 billion
- $700 billion
Also in this section
- Advancing the Defence Drone Initiative$382MProgram spendingBusinessesDefence & securityPublic work
- Expanding Operation REASSURANCE$0MProgram spendingDefence & security
- Supporting Canadian Armed Forces members and their families after the Wainwright tragedy$28MProgram spendingDefence & security
- Strengthening Canada's defence industrial base−$39MSavings or revenueLoans, equity or financingBusinessesInvestmentDefence & securityPublic work
- Protecting Canada through sovereign intelligence$384MProgram spendingDefence & security
- Investing in Canada's defence capabilitiesno cost lineNo cost lineDefence & security
- Establishing the Defence, Security and Resilience Bankno cost lineNo cost lineLoans, equity or financingInvestmentDefence & security
- Investing in northern and Arctic readinessno cost lineNo cost lineDefence & securityInfrastructure & transportPublic work