As the Mark Carney government marks one year since its April 28, 2025 election, its defence agenda has been defined by a sharp increase in military spending, major procurement and procurement-system reforms, and a series of new industrial and international defence partnerships in response to a more contested global security environment and ongoing pressure from the United States under Donald Trump. This includes efforts to rebuild CAF readiness, accelerate capability delivery, and expand Canada’s defence industrial base.

On this week's episode of the Expert Series, CDA Institute Chair and former CDS, General (Ret'd) Tom Lawson reflects on the first year of the Carney government’s defence agenda and its most consequential announcements, assessing whether they are strengthening Canada’s defence capability in practice. He also analyzes this week's spring economic update and the launch of the Canada Strong Fund.

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

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