Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate. Senator Gold, Budget 2022 announced $8 billion in new defence spending. However, it also ties most of this spending to yet another defence policy review. I participated in good faith in the last review held by this government in 2018, but I’m now anxious to see tangible action, especially considering Defence Minister Anand’s recent statement that Arctic security is a priority for this government.

Senator Gold, how long does the government anticipate that review to take, and does your government anticipate upgrades to our now very outdated North Warning System?

Senator Patterson: Senator Gold, Professor Kim Richard Nossal in an interview with The Hill Times on April 11, 2022, said that with regard to defence procurement:

. . . the incredible waste of resources has become so normal that governments can and do throw hundreds of millions of dollars away, seemingly without a second thought, and certainly without ever suffering any consequences.

Keeping in mind that Arctic defence, in light of the current war in Ukraine, is top of mind for many, my question is supplementary: Will the government be working with Inuit and northerners as they did in awarding the recent operations and maintenance contract for the operation of the North Warning System to ensure that these “hundreds of millions of dollars” also equate to another economic driver for the territories?