Prime Minister Mark Carney says securing Canada is an “absolute strategic priority” for his government.

The PM announced a $6 billion Over the Horizon early warning radar system in partnership with Australia in a trip to Iqaluit yesterday. The project has been in the works for some time and could be up and running by 2029.

In terms of increased defence spending, Carney admits Canada has to do more to address security and sovereignty as the geopolitical map continues to shift.

“We will need to do more,” says Carney, “we will do it deliberately, we will do it in a way that gets effective value for money, that delivers true security.”

IN terms of “percentages relative to GDP or absolute dollar figures, I expect that more will have to be placed for defence spending,” Carney told reporters, indicating that it will come soon, but in a strategic way.