Are we really spending 2% of GDP on defence and can we get to 5% in a few years...

Full Comment Podcast is out, plus a successful livestream and more.

Thanks to all who joined on the Ask Me Anything livestream on Sunday. Lots of good conversation.

Also, thanks for all the support following the long and in-depth post on the rift between Pierre Poilievre and Doug Ford.

I’ll have a full update on the world of politics later today, but first wanted to share the latest Full Comment Podcast episode. It’s on the issue of Canada’s defence spending, our NATO commitments and what to expect going forward.

Lots of armchair generals out there, but I spoke with two well regarded experts in the field - David Perry, president of the Global Affairs Institute, and Christian Leuprecht from the Royal Military College of Canada. It’s a great conversation that goes beyond the surface discussion and it gets more interesting because they don’t agree on every point.

Sit back and enjoy.

From the official show notes.

It’s not actually official that Canada’s defence budget meets NATO’s two per cent of GDP target, despite the press releases claiming so. Yes, spending has been going up, but what is it really meant for? This is Brian’s discussion this week with David Perry, president of the Global Affairs Institute, and Christian Leuprecht from the Royal Military College of Canada. They explain how the government still can’t figure out if it wants to project power or sit on the sidelines and criticize those who do, and whether it wants excellent equipment or just the grandest job-creation promises. We might suddenly think we’ve become serious about defence, but our allies and our enemies have reason to question how serious we really are. (Recorded April 2, 2026)