Canada military spending has been inadequate for so long that a defence analyst says the country won't have meaningful new capability until 2035.

Richard Shimooka says the US pause on the Permanent Joint Board of Defense is less alarming than it looks, and points out the board has been declining in relevance for decades while NORAD provides real daily Canada-US defence coordination. The concern worth paying attention to, he says, is the one that actually drove the pause.

The more serious picture Shimooka paints is of frigates on their last legs, no effective air defence against drones, a delayed pilot training pipeline, and an international reputation so weak that Canada's G7 status and middle power claims carry almost no credibility with allies.

Topics: Canada military spending, NORAD, Permanent Joint Board of Defense, Canadian defence, 2035

GUEST: Richard Shimooka

Originally aired on 2026-05-19