NATO spending requires Canada to reach 3.5% of GDP by 2035, but Richard Shimooka sees a problem hidden inside that promise: you can’t instantly rebuild decades of missing defence capacity. More money doesn’t automatically produce more military capability.
The temptation is to manufacture as much as possible at home. Richard argues Canada can and should maintain some strategic industries, including shipbuilding, while other technologies require foreign suppliers and allied partnerships. Trying to build everything domestically could consume money needed elsewhere.
That leaves Canada balancing a spending target against what its defence system can realistically deliver. Richard questions whether the country has enough experienced people, industrial capacity and time to make the promised increase work as intended.
Topics: NATO Canada, defence procurement, military spending, Canadian military, defence industry
GUEST: Richard Shimooka
Originally aired on2026-09-28
