Endgame

Letter in the Globe and Mail – November 6, 2024 re “The defence of Canada is no numbers game” (Editorial, Nov. 4): Linking defence spending to GDP inevitably prompts questions over which GDP projections are more credible. It implies that if the economy goes flat or retreats, then Canada’s defence needs decline commensurately; if GDP rises, then defence needs will apparently be much higher.

What if we focused instead on the best way to fund and deploy diplomatic, economic and military resources in order to make the most effective contribution we can to the pursuit of a safer and more stable world? What if we more seriously debated whether to finally treat the government’s promise to renew Canada’s peacekeeping operations as a solemn commitment, or whether we should focus only on trying to meet the insatiable spending requirements of the world’s richest, most heavily armed military alliance?

Wouldn’t the outcome of that discussion give us a more reliable reading on future defence needs, and costs, than arguing about GDP projections?

Ernie Regehr Waterloo, Ont.