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Defence Policy

Defence Policy Update

  • Our defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, is the foundation for how the Canadian Armed Forces is supported and equipped, ensuring that we are strong at home, secure in North America, and engaged globally.
  • While Strong, Secure, Engaged, accurately identified shifts in the security environment, the world has evolved in significant ways since its release, and it could not have anticipated the speed and intensity with which these shifts have taken place. This policy must continue to be evergreen.
  • These new and emerging threats require us to conduct a defence policy update to meet today’s security challenges.   
  • This update will set out a clear plan of action to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces has the resources and capabilities required to meet its mandate and operate in a dynamic and complex global environment.
  • This includes addressing new and growing challenges related to emerging technologies, foreign intelligence, and cybersecurity.
  • As part of the review process, National Defence has engaged with partners and Allies, parliamentarians, industry, defence partners, as well as the Canadian public.
  • In fact, to gather feedback from Canadians, an online platform was launched in March 2023, which resulted in over 1,500 submissions.
  • This input is important to ensuring that Defence’s new long-term vision meets the expectations of our stakeholders, including the Canadian public.
  • At a time when defence and security needs are changing faster than ever, we must ensure Canada has a modern, adaptable military that is prepared to respond to evolving and emerging security challenges and threats in order to protect Canadians.
  • The Defence Policy Update is currently underway, and we look forward to releasing it in due course.

If pressed on timeline for release:

  • Updating the defence policy is a key priority and we need to make sure that we get it right to ensure it meets the needs of the Defence Team.
  • We will continue to provide updates on the review process.

Key Facts

  • In Budget 2022 the Government of Canada committed to conduct a review of SSE in order to update it for a world that has become less secure and less predictable.

Strong, Secure, Engaged:

  • Launched in 2017, SSE continues to be National Defence’s guiding strategy for responding effectively to a changing world.
  • SSE aims to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces are a modern, capable, combat-ready military that can keep Canada secure and contribute to a more peaceful world.
  • Through SSE,National Defence committed to increasing defence spending by 70% over ten years (2016-17 to 2026-27).
  • 78% of SSE projects are currently in the implementation/close out phase.

Details

Defence Policy Update engagements

  • On January 12 and 13, Minister hosted roundtable discussions with senior members of Canadian aerospace and defence industry associations and executives.
  • National Defence hosted two engagements with representatives of the defence and security expert community in February.
  • From March 9 to April 30, 2023, National Defence launched a web portal to collect the general public’s ideas for the review.
  • On March 27, 2023, National Defence hosted two separate engagements with members of the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs and the House Standing Committee on National Defence. The purpose of these engagements was to hear from Parliamentarians on key defence issues to inform the DPU process.
  • Additionally, the Defence Team has engaged across government and with allies.

Strong, Secure, Engaged

  • The Government has made important advances since the release of Strong, Secure, Engaged in 2017, having implemented more than 75 percent of the initiatives listed in the policy, with new capabilities being brought into service and increased capacity in areas.
  • Since SSE’s release, the Government has made major investments in Defence, having developed a clear plan of action to modernize our continental defences, delivered critical new equipment to the CAF, and begun the essential task of building a more inclusive and diverse Defence team suited for the 21st century.
  • National Defence has made several significant investments in order to meet Canada’s defence needs at home and abroad. This includes the purchase of F-35 advanced fighter aircraft, Canadian Surface Combatant ships, Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles and Medium Support Vehicle System.
  • In line with the targets from Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan, Defence has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions from 2007 levels and is on track to achieve SSE 2017’s commitment of a 40% reduction by 2030.

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