The government is launching public consultations on Canada's defence policy in the hopes of "kickstarting" a national discussion, Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan announced Wednesday.
Speaking from Ottawa, Sajjan said members of the public will be invited to provide comment during the public review, which starts Wednesday and runs until the end of July.
Canadians can submit feedback online until July 31. As well, the government will host six roundtable meetings with various stakeholders across the country.
These public consultations will help inform new defence policies that the government hopes to release in early 2017, Sajjan said.
"I want an opportunity for all Canadians and I encourage all Canadians to actually participate in this," Sajjan said in appearance on CTV's Power Play.
The minister said the consultations will help the government make the decisions required to confront new security threats, including those posed by terror groups like ISIS and Boko Haram, as well as cybersecurity threats.
"Times have changed … in the world, there's a lot more complexity and we need to refocus our defence,” said Sajjan.
"So making sure we have the right makeup, make the right choices (on) how we're going to be working in a multilateral environment around the world."
Sajjan said earlier on Wednesday that the consultations mark the first major public review "of this magnitude" in more than 20 years.
"We will listen to experts and to Canadians about what they want to see from their government," he said, noting that he has consulted with his counterparts in other countries who have undertaken similar reviews.
"My goal is to establish a renewed vision for our military that will be nested in our foreign policy."
During the federal election, the Liberals put forward a broad vision for the future of the Canadian military, pledging to end Canada's role in the anti-ISIS bombing campaign in favour of a training-focused mission. As well, the party promised to return Canada to its traditional role in UN peacekeeping missions. It also promised to cancel plans to buy Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighters and to boost navy spending.
Defence Budget | Defence Consultations
Don't miss your chance, There are forum discussion happening.
Check it out!
Speaking from Ottawa, Sajjan said members of the public will be invited to provide comment during the public review, which starts Wednesday and runs until the end of July.
Canadians can submit feedback online until July 31. As well, the government will host six roundtable meetings with various stakeholders across the country.
These public consultations will help inform new defence policies that the government hopes to release in early 2017, Sajjan said.
"I want an opportunity for all Canadians and I encourage all Canadians to actually participate in this," Sajjan said in appearance on CTV's Power Play.
The minister said the consultations will help the government make the decisions required to confront new security threats, including those posed by terror groups like ISIS and Boko Haram, as well as cybersecurity threats.
"Times have changed … in the world, there's a lot more complexity and we need to refocus our defence,” said Sajjan.
"So making sure we have the right makeup, make the right choices (on) how we're going to be working in a multilateral environment around the world."
Sajjan said earlier on Wednesday that the consultations mark the first major public review "of this magnitude" in more than 20 years.
"We will listen to experts and to Canadians about what they want to see from their government," he said, noting that he has consulted with his counterparts in other countries who have undertaken similar reviews.
"My goal is to establish a renewed vision for our military that will be nested in our foreign policy."
During the federal election, the Liberals put forward a broad vision for the future of the Canadian military, pledging to end Canada's role in the anti-ISIS bombing campaign in favour of a training-focused mission. As well, the party promised to return Canada to its traditional role in UN peacekeeping missions. It also promised to cancel plans to buy Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighters and to boost navy spending.
Defence Budget | Defence Consultations
Don't miss your chance, There are forum discussion happening.
Check it out!
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