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Liberals refuse to provide proof of Carney’s NATO defence spending claims

Published July 5, 2026 at 7:29 PM UTC

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Prime Minister Mark Carney's office has declined to provide supporting data for his recent assertions regarding Canada's accelerated defence spending commitments. In May, Carney announced at the CANSEC Defence conference that Canada is on track to achieve 4% of its GDP in total defence spending by the end of this decade, surpassing NATO's timetable. He reiterated this claim in June during a press conference. However, when Global News sought confirmation from Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne's office, they refused to release any data from Budget 2025 or the Spring Economic Statement to substantiate the Prime Minister's statements. A spokesperson for Champagne stated they were "not in a position to scoop forthcoming announcements" and would not provide additional details beyond what Carney had already disclosed. This lack of transparency has raised concerns among experts. Don Drummond, a former associate deputy finance minister and now a public policy professor at Queen's University, expressed that the absence of transparency is unprecedented in his 49 years as an economist. He remarked, "They’re very good at waving their hands. They wave them very, very vigorously. It’s hard to keep track of what they’re saying." Drummond added, "I’ve never seen a case of less transparency over a budget thing, and it seems to be pretty simple. Just show us the number." In response to Global News' inquiries, the Prime Minister's Office, Finance Minister's Office, and Department of Finance officials have not provided further details on future defence spending plans. The only information available is that Canada spent $63 billion on defence in the 2025–26 fiscal year, meeting NATO's previous target of 2% of GDP. An analysis of the Spring Economic Statement estimates that Canada would need to spend a total of $163 billion annually to meet Carney's commitment of 4% of GDP by 2030. This would require an additional $34.9 billion annually on core defence spending compared to the 2025 budget, a sum greater than the federal government's budget for the Canada Child Benefit in any of the next five years. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has also requested additional details about defence spending from the Department of Defence but has yet to receive a response. Former Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page has criticized the government's lack of transparency, stating that making defence spending a major priority without sharing the details is a "failure" in transparency. U.S. defence officials and Canadian military policy experts have also criticized the federal government for a lack of clarity around its defence spending plans, with a Pentagon official claiming they are not "credible." At the time these criticisms were raised in May, a spokesperson for Defence Minister David McGuinty's office responded by listing previous spending announcements, adding that Canada would spend more than $82 billion over five years on Canadian Armed Forces capabilities. The ongoing lack of detailed information continues to fuel concerns about the government's commitment to its defence spending targets and its transparency with the public.