
More soldiers, more money: Canada's top soldier extols benefits of spending boost
NATO leaders — including Canada — have approved a plan to dramatically increase defence spending across the Western alliance to five per cent of gross domestic product over the next decade.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the move to five per cent of GDP — 3.5 per cent for core military spending and 1.5 per cent for defence-related infrastructure — will take place over the next 10 years.
In an interview with The Canadian Press Saturday, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan said work is underway to figure out how to distribute the almost 20 per cent pay hikes promised by Defence Minister David McGuinty.
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'It's an envelope that will be adapting to what we need. Some of it will be a pay increase, some of it will be for benefit allowances for specific trades or specific functions,' Carignan said.
'Yes there will be a raise this year. Yes that's the aim so we want everything to be ready for the fall and winter time.'
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Carignan said the amount of the pay hike will depend on a soldier's rank and allowances will be allocated to specific trades where CAF needs more people.
'For example recruiting and training is a priority. We want to make sure we encourage instructors in our schools so they're going to be additional benefits as an example,' she said.
Chief Warrant Officer Bob McCann said the extra pay and benefits will be a morale booster for military personnel.
'We're in a great space right now where there's a lot of attention on defence. For the troops this is outstanding because this is why we joined. We want to serve. We want to be part of Canada's defence,' McCann said.
'We want to have equipment to train so everything that's coming is truly positive and we do have 107 trades that are highly competitive with the civilian industry so getting folks in, getting them trained, takes the pressure off the troops that are already there.'
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Carignan said it's been a good year for recruiting with the CAF surpassing its objective by 2,000 for the first time in 10 years. She said fewer people are leaving the service as well. About 18 per cent of the new recruits are women.
'A very good retention rate and a lot more people coming in which means we are growing at CAF at the moment and very positive.'
Carignan said plans are in place to boost the number of military personnel.
'We are focusing on going back to our full complement of regular Canadian Armed Forces members and reserve force so it's 30,000 reserves we are aiming for and 71,500 regular forces,' she said.
'We have additional positions that are also approved and as time goes by and we are close to our ceiling we will add additional forces.'
Carignan said the extra funding will help keep Canada safe.
'Our geography does not protect us as well as it used to. We need to have more investment to actually exercise our own sovereignty here in Canada and of course this implies the Arctic,' she said.
'It is getting more contested, more traffic, more people interested in this area so of course we have to invest more in the Arctic to make sure our sovereignty is respected.'
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Carignan wants to see more radar bases and being able to scramble jets or ships if required.
'We have to have the sensors in place — once you have seen you have to have the ability to intercept or actually act,' she said.
'This is all building blocks that goes to our providing that defensive posture we need to have in the Arctic.'

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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In 2014, the European NATO countries agreed to a target of spending 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2024. In 2014, only the United States, the U.K. and Greece were spending at least 2%. In a recent interview, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said just 23 of NATO's 32 countries met the 2024 target of 2%. President Barack Obama complained. In March 2014, the AP reported, 'President Barack Obama says he's concerned that some NATO allies are reducing their spending on defence.' In February 2015, Defence News wrote, 'U.S. President Barack Obama warned British Prime Minister David Cameron against allowing defence spending to slip below NATO's target of 2% of gross domestic product …' President George W. Bush complained. In an April 2008 speech in Romania, he said: 'Building a strong NATO Alliance also requires a strong European defence capacity. So, at this summit, I will encourage our European partners to increase their defence investments to support both NATO and (European Union) operations.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump not only complained. He raged. At the 2018 NATO breakfast meeting in Brussels, Trump delivered a beatdown: 'Just look at the chart. Take a look at the chart. It's public. And many countries are not paying what they should. And, frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, where they're delinquent, as far as I'm concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them. So, if you go back 10 or 20 years, you'll just add it all up. It's massive amounts of money owed. The United States has paid and stepped up like nobody. This has gone on for decades, by the way. This has gone on for many presidents. But no other president brought it up like I bring it up. So, something has to be done …' Trump was just getting warmed up. He continued: 'And I think that these countries have to step it up not over a 10-year period; they have to step it up immediately. … So, we're going to have to do something because we're not going to put up with it. We can't put up with it. And it's inappropriate.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Fast forward to the June 2025 NATO summit. The BBC reported: 'NATO allies promised to raise defence-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. … NATO's chief Mark Rutte heaped praise on Trump and gave him the credit: 'America expects European allies and Canada to contribute more. And that is exactly what we see them doing.'' Several factors pressured the NATO countries to go from dragging their feet to hit 2% to agreeing to the much larger target of 5%. President Joe Biden's abrupt and chaotic pullout from Afghanistan raised questions about America's competence, leadership and willingness to stick to its commitments. The Russian invasion of Ukraine brought to Europe's doorstep the possibility of Russian aggression. But the biggest factor was Trump himself. When Rutte praised Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, he admitted NATO deserved Trump's kick in the pants for not spending a larger percentage of their GDP on defence. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rutte, in a private message Trump made public, said: 'Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world. You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done. Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win.' Not only did Trump demand and obtain a commitment from the NATO countries to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, but he also said the United States need not do so. Trump said, 'I don't think we should, but I think they should. We've been supporting NATO so long. So, I don't think we should, but I think that the NATO countries should, absolutely.' Apparently neither George W. Bush nor Barack Obama was available for comment. Toronto Raptors Columnists Toronto & GTA Toronto Maple Leafs World