Ottawa set to unveil long-awaited update to defence policy

Defence Minister Bill Blair is set to release the long-awaited update to Canada’s defence policy Monday morning in Trenton, Ont.

The policy has been in the works since shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

It replaces the current policy, “Strong, Secure, Engaged,” which came out in 2017 and sets out the military’s priorities for 20 years.

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That policy lays out plans for major equipment purchases in $164 billion of capital spending.

Work on the updated plan started under former minister Anita Anand and there has been speculation that one version was shelved because it called for too much additional spending.

Blair has said the plan will be aimed at giving Canada’s defence industry the stability and predictability it needs to plan for the future.