National Defence Hit With Biggest Cut in Feds’ First Round of Spending Review

Canada’s national defence department is facing the biggest hit in federal spending reduction in the first iteration of promised cuts released by the Liberal government on Nov. 9. Speaking at a press conference that day, Treasury Board President Anita Anand outlined her government’s plan to slash $500 million from federal spending for the current fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. Spending estimates tabled by Ms. Anand in the House of Commons on Nov. 9 showed that the Department of National Defence (DND) is expected to cut its spendings by $211,082,000, or 42.2 percent of the planned amount. The $500 million cut was committed in March of this year when the federal budget was announced. Budget 2023 proposed to reduce spending on consulting, other professional services, and travel across 68 government departments, agencies, and Crown corporations. The Liberals plan to save $15.4 billion over five years, from fiscal 2023-24 to fiscal 2027-28....