64% of Canadians support an immediate stop to buying military equipment from the U.S. – Majority support loosening budget restrictions and increasing defence spending
April 4, 2025
The Canadian public is facing significant uncertainty as the new U.S. administration disrupts geopolitical norms. Key issues in the ongoing federal election include the trade dispute between Canada and the United States and concerns over Canada’s territorial integrity. One topic that combines all these ongoing issues is the federal spending on Canada’s defence. In recent weeks, media outlets have focused on Canada’s purchase of F-35 fighter jets and artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) from the United States. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, European leaders are also reassessing their defence priorities. The EU is seeking new ways to increase their defence spending to fill the void left by a shifting U.S. role in the European security architecture.
One of our recent national surveys of 2,000 Canadian adults (March 20 – 25, 2025) explores public opinion on the Canadian Armed Forces, defence budget and spending priorities, and mandatory military service.
Public opinion on the Canadian Armed Forces
To start, we wanted to know Canadians’ current impression of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). A combined 60% of Canadians have a very or mostly positive impression of the CAF. 23% stated that they have a neutral impression, and only 8% have a very or mostly negative impression. The most favorable opinions come from Canadians aged 60 and older, as well as those from the Atlantic region.
Next, we asked Canadians whether they trust or distrust the Canadian Armed Forces’ ability to effectively defend Canada.
Nearly half of Canadians (48%) say they completely or somewhat trust the CAF to defend Canada. 20% say they neither trust nor distrust, and 23% express some level of distrust. The trust level is lower in Quebec compared to other provinces, while older Canadians (60 and over) also show more distrust. We asked those who showed distrust for their reasoning, and the most reoccurring concerns were a lack of manpower, outdated equipment, and insufficient military funding.
With the United States becoming more isolated on the international stage, there are scenarios where Canadian and U.S. interests may contradict. To gauge public perception, we asked half of our sample whether they believe the CAF can defend Canadian interests “without the United States as an ally” and the other half whether the CAF can defend Canadian interests “against the United States if needed.”
The results for both statements are relatively similar. 39% of Canadians agree strongly or somewhat that the CAF can defend Canadian interests “without the United States as an ally”, while 38% agree that the CAF can defend Canadian interests “against the United States if needed”. However, disagreement is slightly higher for the second statement, with 38% expressing some level of disagreement, compared to 33% for the first. Older Canadians (60+) are more skeptical than younger age groups and show a stronger disagreement with both statements. Notably, half of Canadians aged 60 and older strongly or somewhat disagree that the CAF can defend Canadian interests against the United States if needed.
Defence budget and spending priorities
In response to the war in Ukraine and the recent geopolitical uncertainty heightened by the Trump administration, European countries found new ways to loosen budget restrictions and boost their military spending. We wanted to understand what Canadians think a new federal government should do.
A combined 51% of Canadians believe it would be a very good or good idea for a new federal government to loosen budget restrictions to immediately increase Canada’s military spending. About a quarter see this as an acceptable idea, while only 12% think this a bad or very bad idea. Again, older Canadians (60+) show the strongest support (62%) among the age groups.
Next, we reminded respondents about the following: In 2024, Canada spent roughly 1.3 % of its GDP on defence—falling short of NATO’s target of at least 2%. In January 2025, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced plans to reach the 2% spending goal by 2027 instead of 2032.
65% of Canadians believe a new federal government should spend much or somewhat more on Canada’s defence than it does now. Meanwhile, 17% think spending should remain the same, and only 6% say to spend somewhat or much less. Support for increased defence spending grows with age—54% of 18–29-year-olds favor an increase, compared to 76% of those aged 60 and older.
In March 2024, we asked Canadians the following question: “If a political party proposed creating a new $100 special levy or tax to raise money to increase Canada’s defence budget to meet our commitment to NATO and improve the readiness and capability of our military, would you support, accept, or oppose it?”
In this survey, we asked the same question again and found that overall support has increased by 12 points, rising from 20% in March 2024 to 32% now. There is a 19-point decrease from 44% in March 2024 to 25% now of Canadians who oppose or strongly oppose a $100 special levy or tax. Canadians with a household income of over $100,000 a year and Liberal voters show above-average support for the proposed levy in March 2025 compared to the general population.
We asked Canadians to identify the top three priorities for the Canadian government when purchasing new military equipment, with each respondent selecting three priorities. The top three selected purchase priorities for what “new military equipment should” were:
- “Meet the demands of the Canadian Armed Forces” (40%),
- “Be manufactured in Canada” (35%)
- “Be compatible with systems of Canadian allies (e.g., NATO)” (32%).
Additionally, 31% of respondents chose “lower Canada’s dependability on other countries” while 29% selected “be purchased from Canadian companies” and “not be purchased from the United States”.
Given that military equipment purchases are a key topic in the 2025 federal election, these results suggest that the Canadian public is open to reassessing and adjusting current purchasing priorities.
Since military equipment purchases are increasingly linked to the ongoing tariff dispute between Canada and the new Trump administration, we asked Canadians whether they support or oppose the Canadian federal government immediately stopping the purchase of defence and military equipment from the United States. A combined 64% of Canadians support such an immediate halt, while 21% remain neutral. Only 9% oppose or strongly oppose the idea. Support for an immediate stop varies by political affiliation: Conservative voters show less support (53%) compared to Liberal voters (75%) and NDP voters (72%).
Mandatory military service
As a final question, we asked Canadians if they would support or oppose introducing mandatory military service for young Canadians. We provided a brief explanation of what mandatory military service would entail. 26% of Canadians strongly support or somewhat support the idea of mandatory military service, while 19% could accept it. However, 45% somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the idea. Among the 18 to 29-year-old age group, who would be most directly affected by mandatory service, the results are similar to the overall population. Conservative voters show stronger support (33%) compared to the average. When we asked those who support mandatory military service to explain why, the most common reasons included strengthening national defence, improving discipline and responsibility among youth, and offering career and skill development opportunities.
The Upshot
As Canada navigates new geopolitical challenges – including its fragmenting relationship with the United States and NATO commitments – the Canadian public is expressing a growing interest in revising national defence priorities. A majority of Canadians maintain a positive view of the Canadian Armed Forces, with 60% holding favorable opinions. However, there are some concerns about the CAF’s ability to defend Canada effectively, particularly regarding its reliance on the United States.
In response to increasing global tensions, Canadians are predominantly supportive of boosting military spending. 65% believe that the Canadian government should spend more on defence, with support rising among older demographics. This aligns with the support of 51% of Canadians to loosen budget restrictions to make it happen. This goes so far that compared to a year ago, Canadians show a growing support for a special levy or tax to raise money to increase Canada’s defence budget. 61% either strongly support, support or could accept the idea of a $100 special levy or tax.
Notably, 64% of Canadians support immediately halting defence purchases from the United States. This sentiment also extends to military equipment purchasing priorities, with 35% of respondents favoring equipment manufactured in Canada and 31% prioritizing equipment that lowers Canada’s dependence on other countries.
When it comes to mandatory military service, public opinion is divided. While 45% oppose the idea, 45% of Canadians either strongly support, support or could accept mandatory military service. Conservative voters show stronger support for mandatory military service. Across Europe, there are increasing discussions around mandatory military service, e.g., during the election campaign in Germany in February 2025.
Overall, the results reveal a significant desire for a shift in Canada’s defence policies, with a focus on bolstering military spending, reducing dependence on the U.S., and rethinking priorities around military equipment acquisition. This evolving public opinion is sure to influence discussions in the 2025 federal election, with defence and national security taking center stage. Federal parties can capitalize on this shift in public opinion by offering a strategic path forward, particularly to engage older voters.
Methodology
The survey was conducted with 2,000 Canadians aged 18 and over from March 20 to 25, 2025. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set partner panel based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source.
The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.19%, 19 times out of 20.
The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Abacus Data follows the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements that can be found here: https://canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/
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