
Defence expected to find operational savings even as its budget balloons
OTTAWA — The Department of National Defence will not be spared from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cost-cutting drive — even though overall defence spending is set to balloon in the coming years.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne sent letters to cabinet ministers Monday asking them to find savings of 7.5 per cent in their budgets starting in fiscal 2026, a spokesperson for the minister confirmed.
That savings target rises to 10 per cent the following year and 15 per cent in 2028.
The Globe and Mail first reported on the plan to sharply reduce program spending across the government.