Defence spending was a key area of focus in the federal budget tabled this week, given that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had prompted a renewed emphasis on security in NATO countries.

But depending on whom you ask, the spending commitments laid out by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday are either woefully too little or they’re thankfully smaller than they could have been, preserving funding for other budget areas.

The key figure is a plan to boost defence spending by $8 billion over five years, bringing the country’s 2026-27 defence spending to 1.5 per cent of gross domestic product, up from 1.39 per