Canada has spent much less money on the military than its allies, proportionate to GDP, for the last half-century or so.
This has, from time to time, made our allies grumpy and caused a certain amount of uneasiness in some circles in Canada.
The end of the Cold War — it's tempting to refer to the 'First Cold War' — led many countries, not just Canada, to collect on a 'peace dividend' and reallocate money away from defence budgets.
However, Putinist aggression in Russia, most notably in its invasion of Ukraine, has raised questions about whether it is time for Canada to rearm.
About 74 per cent of readers in a recent online poll said that they thought the defence budget should increase, acknowledging that could mean less money for other priorities. That's unchanged from a similar poll we ran in March.
Men were more inclined to agree than women:
Conservatives were much more likely to agree. (It's by no means clear, however, that a Conservative government would in fact meaningfully expand the military.)
Older readers are much more likely to agree, with over 80 per cent of those over 70 agreeing:
There is a weak association with income:
There is a consistent association with our questions related to Ukraine:
And there is a link with both service in the military and also Remembrance Day: