Three in four Canadians support defense spending on new submarines, according to a new survey from Nanos Research and CTV News.
The survey, conducted from September 29 to October 2, surveyed more than 1,000 Canadian adults to find out whether they supported the recently announced purchase of 12 submarines to increase Canada’s military. We asked them to rate whether they disagree. Costs are expected to reach up to $120 billion.
Of those surveyed, 44% said they supported the decision, and a further 32% said they somewhat supported it. Another 10% each said they were somewhat or completely opposed to the spending, and 4% said they were unsure.
Survey responses did not vary significantly by demographics, although support for purchasing submarines was more common in Ontario (79.6%) than in other provinces (about 73% in Quebec and Atlantic Canada). %, approximately 74% in British Columbia and the Prairies). , among men and women (77.5% and 75.1%, respectively), and among older Canadians (83.4% for those aged 55 and older and 62.8% for those aged 18 to 34).
Focus on NATO spending
planned The purchase of 12 submarines was announced in July. Amid the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, Canada and key strategic alliances of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada 29 other countriesincluding most of the European Union.
NATO members’ commitments include a defense spending target of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), a benchmark Canada has not yet met.
“The guidelines also serve as an indicator of a country’s political will to contribute to NATO’s common defense effort,” the group’s publication says.
Defense Minister Bill Blair speaks to reporters in the lobby of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on September 16, 2024. Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
According to a 2022 report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Canada’s defense spending will be It remains at around 1.5% or less of GDP. Between 2014 and 2021 and based on Forecasts from the beginning of this yearthis figure will remain below 2% until after the 2029/30 financial year.
In the past 10 years, NATO allies meet the 2% guideline According to a June press release, the number of companies has increased from three in 2014 to 23 as of this year.
Regarding the submarine in July, Defense Minister Bill Blair said in a news release: new fleet “It will enable Canada to protect its sovereignty in a changing world and make a valuable and high-level contribution to the security of our partners and NATO allies.”
methodology
On behalf of CTV News, Nanos Research conducted an online and telephone RDD dual-frame survey with a random sample of 1,058 Canadian adults. The survey was conducted from September 29 to October 2, 2024, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points 19 out of 20 times. Results were checked statistically and weighted by age and gender according to available information. Census data representative of Canada.
