Who’s Attacking Canada?

Promod Puri

Canada’s defence budget is exploding—$27B in 2022, $29.9B in 2023, $33.8B in 2024, and a jaw-dropping $62.7B planned for 2025.

Are we arming up for a snowball fight with Russia? Or guarding against an invasion by the MAGA clan?

The truth is, we’re bordered by a friendly but tariff-threatening superpower and protected by oceans and Arctic ice.

Instead of splurging on tanks and jets, why not join Costa Rica, Iceland, Mauritius, Panama, and Vanuatu—the peaceful nations with no armies at all?

Let’s invest those billions in healthcare, housing, and saving the planet, not polishing tanks and missiles we’ll never use.

–Promod Puri

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Published by Promod Puri

Retired after 40 years of career in journalism. Former publisher and editor of The Link, a South Asian Canadian weekly newspaper from Vancouver, BC. Now a freelance writer. Published my first book titled "Hinduism:beyond rituals,customs and traditions". The book is educational dealing with all the facets of Hinduism. Websites: promodpuri.com progressivehindudialogue.com promodpuri.blogspot.com

9 Comments

  2. excellent — why do we need the military — basically to create jobs for about 100,000 canadians. The governments could create jobs in other more useful fields. And of course there will be the 55,000 postal workers out of a job when carney shuts down Canada Post (i think within 2 yrs) — what will the governments do to give THEM jobs.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. Beside, creating jobs, military is an institution, a traditions, that is unimaginable to dismantle. Only a leadership with guts can seek its dissolving and save the billions of dollars for other worthy needs.

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  3. Thanks for your comment. Beside, creating jobs, military is an institution, a traditions, that is unimaginable to dismantle. Only a leadership with guts can seek its dissolving and save the billions of dollars for other worthy needs.

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  4. Dear Promod Bhai:

    I want to thank you for your column on defence spending. Your piece tells only a part of the increase in Canada’s defence budget.

    Prime Minister Mark Carney has committed that Canada will invest five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035, a pledge that will mean billions more in spending per year and the biggest increase since the Second World War. This pledge was made to appease Donald Trump.

    Prime Minster Carney stated in an interview with CNN that five per cent of Canada’s GDP currently equates to $150 billion annually.

    Where will the additional funds come from? There are two choices: increase taxes on Canadians or cut spending from other areas such as transfer payments to provinces -funds that are needed for health, education and other social services.

    According to some estimates, in 2024 NATO spent $1.5 trillion on the military – more than half of global military spending. If NATO members spend 3.5 percent target by 2030, that would mean a total of $13.4 trillion in military expenditure. This is a huge sum of money. It is enough to provide a cash bonus of $1,674 to every person on the planet.

    Social spending is already on the chopping block.

    What is NATO’s justification for increased defence spending? It says the increase is needed to confront the threats of “Russia” and “terrorism”. Yet there is no rationale behind the 5 percent target or details on why threats to NATO have so drastically increased. It is 5 percent because Donald Trump said so.

    This increase in defence spending is taking place when according to the most recent estimates, in 2024 almost 700 million people around the world were subsisting on less than $2.15 per day. For nearly 700 million people living in extreme poverty worldwide is a harsh reality.

    I am extremely concerned about what may happen in Canada in the next few years. Carney government has issued a directive to all departments asking for 7.5%, 10%, and 15% spending cuts over the next three years. Public services, which presently are on the chopping block, are the foundation of thriving communities, delivering programs that Canadians rely on. Investing in public services means building a stronger, healthier and safer Canada for everyone.

    Harinder Mahil

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    1. Thanks Harinder-bhai for your detailed analysis with statistics about defense spending by Canada. That certainly adds to my plea that Canada must consider dismantling its armed forces. It is a very rational plea that Canada does not need military at all, just like several others nations have done so.

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