Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Justin Trudeau’s government has been rethinking its national defence priorities. The government has earmarked $8 billion in the current budget for modernizing the military. Despite that, we will not reach the 2% that our NATO partners are demanding. According to several experts, this delay is very worrisome in terms of modernizing our military equipment, especially for our navy and air force.

Why has the Trudeau government waited for a military conflict to break out in Europe in order to finally take care of the Canadian Armed Forces?

Senator Boisvenu: I would remind you that, in terms of our NATO contribution, which represents a strategic budget relative to the conflict in Europe, Canada spends just over 1%, although the target is 2%.

When General Eyre appeared before a House of Commons committee a few days ago, he had this to say about protecting the Arctic:

If the day arrives when Canadian sovereignty is threatened, Canada’s presence there is limited. . . . Consequently, Canada needs a “sustained and visible . . . presence there.”

He was referring to a military presence. Can you provide this chamber with a copy of the Arctic defence policy that the government plans to put in place? Does the government plan to address the concerns raised by General Eyre, who believes that our Armed Forces should have a greater presence in the Arctic?