OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to speak at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute’s annual gathering in Ottawa today.

This year’s event is focused on how NATO allies will achieve their pledge to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035.

Speakers at the two-day event also include Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of state for defence procurement, and Canada’s defence chief Gen. Jennie Carignan.

Another panel features the commanders of the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force.

The agenda includes discussions about defence spending and the Canadian Armed Forces’ efforts in recruitment and retention.

Former defence minister Bill Blair told the same conference two years ago that the military was in a recruitment “death spiral” and that the federal government was unable to spend more on defence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2026.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press