“Elbows up” was the recurrent message during the campaign trail, when Mark Carney positioned himself as an adversary to Donald Trump. 100 days in office later, however, the former banker’s policies further capitulate Canada’s role into the US empire. Through Bill C-2 (the so-called Strong Borders Act) and an exponential increase in military spending, Canada is advancing the militarized interests of the United States while failing its working class.
Bill C-2 and the militarization of the border
Bill C-2, the so-called Strong Borders Act, further strengthens the border-industrial complex and reinforces cooperation between Canada and the United States in border security. The announcement advances the $1.3 billion investment in Black Hawk helicopters, drones and surveillance towers made by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Despite its intentions, such investments will not deter the arrival of those fleeing persecution, as they will simply force people into undertaking more perilous and life-threatening journeys to seek protection in Canada.
The new legislation introduces ineligibility measures to further restrict the right to seek asylum in Canada by barring asylum claims made more than a year after initially arriving in Canada. This provision mirrors but is worse than a similar policy in the United States, where the rule applies to an individual’s most recent entry into the country. In Canada, this provision would come into effect from the very first time a person entered the country, meaning a child who visited Canada with their parents would not be eligible for refugee protection if they were later subjected to persecution.
The bill also bars refugee claimants from accessing the Immigration and Refugee Board if they irregularly arrive into Canada from the United States. Previously, individuals could apply for refugee status after 14 days, but this new bill eliminates this exception and forces them to remain in the United States where they are subject to detention and deportation.
Moreover, the legislation gives immigration officials sweeping powers to cancel, suspend or modify immigration documents for entire groups without due process. This includes the ability to pause new applications or cancel existing applications even after submission, putting groups of people at the risk of losing their status and being subject to deportation.
While Carney ran a campaign that supposedly opposed Trump’s policies, this new bill only renews cooperation between the two countries to further militarize the border and portray refugees as dangerous individuals that must be kept out at all costs. Like in the United States, the new legislation advances the disingenuous and racist rhetoric that refugees and migrants are causing the compounding housing, healthcare, and affordability crisis.
This fallacious narrative has been parroted by the media and representatives across political stripes. Yet, international students and temporary workers living in inhumane conditions are not the cause of the housing affordability crisis, as the blame should be placed on the profit-driven investors and the lack of investment in public housing in the past few decades.
A colossal expansion of the Military-Industrial Complex
While we supposedly do not have enough resources for basic needs such as affordable housing, quality healthcare and everyday essentials—which in turn results in the scapegoating of refugees and migrants—it appears there is always enough money for the military-industrial complex.
Recently, Carney promised to spend 5% of its GDP on defence by 2035, an increase from the previous target of 2% set for NATO countries. This colossal investment in the military will cost taxpayers a whopping $150 billion every year. For comparison, Canada spent an estimated $189 billion between 2013 and 2021 in military expenses, but World Beyond War estimates that Canada’s military expenditures have increased by 95% between 2015 and 2023.
Beyond the unnecessary burden on taxpayers, Canada’s military expenditures are foundational to the expansion of global imperialism that displaces and kills people across the Majority World. For example, Saudi Arabia was the second-largest receiver of Canadian arms after the United States. These weapons have played an integral role in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen since 2015, which has killed nearly 377,000 people to date.
Crucially, these military investments will further support Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, which has killed 200,000 civilians thus far. Last year, Canada sold $18.9 million of military goods to Israel. This figure is a significant underestimate of Canada’s real complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, as Global Affairs Canada does not track exports that are sold to the United States before being supplied to Israel.
Despite the rhetoric of a messy breakup between Canada and the United States, the relationship between the two countries to advance the military-industrial complex has only strengthened under Carney’s leadership. Not only is the 5% target for military spending under NATO a capitulation to Trump’s demands, but these new investments will expand the US empire, which is the largest arms manufacturer in the world.
Money for health and education, not war and occupation
The Parliamentary Budget Officer, Yves Giroux, has admitted that meeting the 5% target for military spending “would require a major shift of government priorities — away from social spending, for example — to free up some of the resources currently allocated to these types of expenses towards defence.”
While the working class struggles to survive, it appears that Carney’s true allegiance is to the border-industrial and military-industrial complex. The government continues to scapegoat refugees and migrants without addressing the real root causes of the compounding crises we are facing today, all while beefing up the military-industrial complex that terrorizes the Majority World. These investments will undoubtedly come at the expense of the social safety needs that more and more Canadians are desperately relying on.
It is estimated that 25% of Canadians are living at a poverty level living standard, compared to the official poverty rate of 10%. In 2024, there were over 2 million visits to food banks – the highest number in history – representing a 90% increase compared to 2019. Meanwhile, while the government boosts military spending, Canada ranks below the OECD average for social spending and falls far below the upper-end target that we should be striving to meet. For comparison, France spent an estimated 31% of its GDP on social spending in 2022 while Canada only spent 19%.
At the end of the day, it is clear that we have the necessary resources required so every person living in Canada can afford a roof over their head, eat healthy meals, access quality healthcare and education, and thrive in our communities. We must therefore urgently go beyond the false rhetoric of scarcity politics—which disingenuously scapegoats refugees and migrants—and instead prioritize the wellbeing of the working class.
As we repeat on the streets, “Money for Health and Education, Not War and Occupation.”
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