What the parties say about foreign and defence policy

The Conservatives promise to:

Increase the Department of National Defence’s budget to three per cent starting in 2017-18, totalling an additional $11.8 billion over 10 years.

Commit an additional $3.5 billion over five years toward the maternal, newborn and child health initiative, on top of a $2.8 billion commitment at the G8 summit in 2010.

They have also committed Canada to a military mission against ISIL, sending CF-18 fighter jets to Iraq and Syria.

The NDP promises to:

Increase Canada’s foreign aid to 0.7 per cent of gross national income, or GNI (Canada currently spends 0.24 per cent of GNI on foreign aid).

Reopen the nine Veterans Affairs regional offices closed by the Conservative government.

End the bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria and pull out all military personnel; boost humanitarian aid to help refugees affected by ISIL as well as investigate and prosecute war crimes.

The Liberals promise to:

Make Canada a “world leader” at multinational institutions.

Reverse the decline in foreign aid.

Reopen nine Veterans Affairs regional offices closed by the Conservative government.

Create a cabinet committee to oversee and manage Canada’s relationship with the United States.

Host a new trilateral summit with the United States and Mexico.

End the bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria but keep military trainers in Iraq and boost humanitarian aid to help refugees; allow more refugees into the country from Iraq and Syria.

The Greens promise to:

Reduce by 30 per cent the $2.7 billion spent every year on DND consultants, contractors and other private sector contracts.

Realign defence spending to increase the emphasis on disaster assistance.

Shift the focus away from NATO “war missions” towards UN peacekeeping contributions.

Ensure development assistance targets the “poorest of the poor.”