Mark Carney’s first months as prime minister signal a clear ambition: to make nation-shaping investments that restore Canada’s influence, economic strength and credibility on the world stage.
He’s moving fast, and for good reason. It will take exactly that kind of ambition if there’s any hope of reversing the impacts of more than three decades of drastic under-investment in Canada’s global engagement.
One of the things he plans to do is see Canada meet NATO’s two per cent of GDP target for defence spending — a tectonic shift in Canadian foreign policy. That’s a big step in the right direction, and I say that as someone who runs a charity and knows firsthand how many urgent priorities are competing for dollars.
But defence spending alone won’t secure Canada’s place in the world. If we’re serious about global leadership, then we need to match our military ambition with equally bold investments in soft power. And that means international development.
Development assistance is not something nice we do off the side of the table. It should be seen as part of our overall global engagement strategy and policy.
The Liberal Party’s platform seems to reflect this. It rightly states that “we must invest in our ability to shape the world we live in, because a peaceful, prosperous world is one where Canada thrives.” But that means not just defence. It requires all four pillars of foreign relations: trade, diplomacy, defence and yes — development assistance.
Fortunately, the new government has pledged to maintain aid spending — a welcome sign in a world where key allies like the U.S., U.K., France and Germany are cutting back. But stability is not the same as leadership. What’s missing is the same ambition we’re seeing on the defence side.
We need a similar clear, forward-looking investment in development that matches the scale of today’s global challenges, something on the scale of the Marshall Plan after World War Two. That bold, post-war effort wasn’t just about rebuilding Europe; it was about helping to shape a new international order.
The prime minister says he wants big, nation-building projects. Here’s one: reclaim Canada’s place as a global development leader — and back it with serious funding. Just as we’re mobilizing resources for military readiness, we should be launching flagship global initiatives — serious investments in climate resilience, democratic institutions and inclusive economic growth.
With the G7 summit just ahead, Canada can use that global stage to show it is a country that understands that real power means pairing defence with development. After all, we cannot credibly advocate for peace and stability while neglecting the very tools that help build them.
To put it another way, if we can afford two per cent of our GDP for our armed forces, we can also afford — and we need to afford — equal measures of ambition for partnership, prevention and progress on the development side of things.
Canadians increasingly say we must approach the world with “our elbows up.” If that’s the case, then we need to show up with the full toolkit. Defence, yes, but also development programs that can help to prevent conflicts, build resilience, avoid crises and strengthen the global partnerships we’ll need in the tough years ahead.
