National Defence
What National Defence spent in fiscal year 2018-19: its net expenditure by standard object, from the Public Accounts of Canada, Volume II.
Reports through National Defence; the overview shows it in that ministry.
What National Defence does
The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are responsible for ensuring Canada's security and defence through military operations, infrastructure management, and personnel support. Established in 1923 under the National Defence Act, DND oversees the defence budget, military procurement, and readiness planning, while the CAF executes domestic and international operations. The department sets strategic defence policy and works with international allies, including NATO and NORAD, and administers military health services, housing programs, and recruitment to support its personnel.
Federal defence spending shifts over time with geopolitical tensions, defence modernization needs, and emerging threats such as cyber warfare, and events such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Arctic sovereignty disputes can influence military spending.
Spending, 2018-19
Net spending, 2018-19
$21.6B
spent by National Defence, less revenues it kept
Share, 2018-19
7.8%
of the net spending of every federal organization
How did National Defence spend its budget in 2018-19?
By standard object. Revenues it kept are negative and netted against its spending. Transfer payments are broken into their largest named programs.
Spending by standard object, 2018-19
Personnel
Professional and special services
Acquisition of machinery and equipment
Repair and maintenance
Utilities, materials and supplies
Transportation and communications
Rentals
Acquisition of land, buildings and works
Other subsidies and payments
Transfer payments
Information
Public debt charges
Internal revenues
External revenues
$9.79B
$3.67B
$3.55B
$1.54B
$1.08B
$827M
$540M
$517M
$245M
$209M
$19.9M
$8.8M
-$16M
-$364M
Total: $21.6B.
Spending by program, 2018-19
The same net spending by program, as GC InfoBase reports program actuals: $21.6B in all. Select a program for its history, plans and results.
$3.21B
$2.51B
$1.52B
$1.3B
$1.18B
$1.18B
$901M
$863M
$743M
$653M
$546M
$503M
$461M
$432M
$323M
$314M
$292M
$245M
$243M
$240M
$215M
$209M
$192M
$191M
$172M
$170M
$155M
$148M
$141M
$138M
$133M
$131M
$131M
$128M
$116M
$115M
$114M
$111M
$106M
$103M
$90.6M
$88.4M
$83.5M
$73.9M
$73.5M
$61.8M
$61.5M
$58.2M
$55.1M
$50.6M
$50.4M
$45.5M
$45M
$38.8M
$30.6M
$30.6M
$29M
$18.8M
$16.7M
$8.5M
$7.7M
$7.3M
$6.9M
$2.2M
Workforce, 2018-19
Full-time equivalents
91,970
the actual FTEs of its programs, as GC InfoBase reports them
Personnel spending
$9.79B
salaries, wages and benefits (the personnel standard object)
Personnel spending per FTE
$106K
personnel spending divided by full-time equivalents
A full-time equivalent is a measure of employment, not a headcount: two half-time employees are one FTE. Personnel spending includes benefits and pension contributions, so per FTE it is not an average salary.
Transfer payment programs, 2018-19
The grants, contributions and other transfers National Defence paid, program by program: $209M in all, against $209M for the transfer payments object above (the Public Accounts publish the two tables separately).
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization Contribution Program: NATO Military Budget (NATO Programs)Payments | Contribution | $130,198,316 |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization Contribution Program: NATO Security Investment Program (NATO Programs)Payments | Contribution | $54,001,402 |
| Contributions in Support of the Military Training and Cooperation ProgramPayments | Contribution | $10,452,593 |
| Contributions in support of the Capital Assistance ProgramPayments | Contribution | $3,275,966 |
| Contribution to the Civil Air Search and Rescue AssociationPayments | Contribution | $3,059,048 |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization Contribution Program: NATO Other ActivitiesPayments | Contribution | $2,352,100 |
| Contribution to the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust in support of the preservation of HMCS SackvillePayments | Contribution | $2,100,000 |
| Payments under the Supplementary Retirement Benefits ActPayments | Contribution | $1,302,454 |
| Grants in support of the Defence Engagement ProgramPayments | Grant | $599,683 |
| Grant Program to the National Offices of the Cadet Leagues of Canada: Navy League of CanadaPayments | Grant | $474,000 |
| Grant Program to the National Offices of the Cadet Leagues of Canada: Army Cadet League of CanadaPayments | Grant | $474,000 |
| Grant Program to the National Offices of the Cadet Leagues of Canada: Air Cadet League of CanadaPayments | Grant | $474,000 |
| Payments under Parts I-IV of the Defence Services Pension Continuation Act (R.S.C., 1970, c. D-3)Payments | Contribution | $278,766 |
| Contribution to the Biological and Chemical Defence Review CommitteePayments | Contribution | $133,909 |
| Grants in support of the Compensation for Employers of Reservists ProgramPayments | Grant | $110,293 |
| 16 programs | $209,311,807 | |
Contracts of $10,000 and under
Contracts this small are not published one by one: Treasury Board publishes each organization's totals, by calendar year, for contracts of $10,000 and under (their original value and their amendments) and for acquisition card purchases. They are the value of contracts entered into, not what was paid in a fiscal year, so they are not part of the net expenditure above, and the years are calendar years.
| Calendar year | Goods | Services | Construction | Acquisition cards | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $182,738,592 | $46,120,268 | $36,225,107 | $146,087,224 | $411,171,190 |
| 2024 | $91,493,993 | $67,223,666 | $10,075,883 | $129,209,091 | $298,002,633 |
| 2023 | $95,882,105 | $67,438,204 | $10,174,236 | $128,345,241 | $301,839,786 |
| 2022 | $85,609,067 | $61,717,171 | $10,324,676 | $223,452,745 | $381,103,659 |
| 2021 | $82,403,481 | $55,738,986 | $10,327,243 | $223,548,287 | $372,017,998 |
| 2020 | $111,470,378 | $52,693,653 | $9,007,956 | $132,086,957 | $305,258,944 |
| 2019 | $93,388,547 | $65,443,577 | $10,258,230 | $153,756,325 | $322,846,680 |
| 2018 | $85,343,229 | $69,174,522 | $11,392,034 | $217,488,621 | $383,398,405 |
| 2017 | $60,812,614 | $57,802,168 | $4,820,732 | $181,297,114 | $304,732,629 |
National Defence’s share of federal net spending
Other organizations in National Defence
Sources
- Public Accounts of Canada 2019, Volume II: Ministerial expenditures by standard object (Table 3)
- Public Accounts of Canada, Volume II: Transfer payments (multi-year open data)
- GC InfoBase – Federal Programs – Actual and Planned Spending (programs_spending.csv)
- GC InfoBase – Federal Programs – Actual and Planned Employees (programs_ftes.csv)
- Proactive Publication - Contracts: Aggregated Total - Contracts $10K and under
Department figures are net expenditure (Public Accounts, Volume II), which doesn’t add up to the accrual expenses of the overview’s headline. See the methodology.
