The government is launching public consultations on Canada's defence policy in the hopes of "kickstarting" a national discussion, Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan announced Wednesday.
Speaking from Ottawa, Sajjan said members of the public will be invited to provide comment during the public review, which starts Wednesday and runs until the end of July.
Canadians can submit feedback online until July 31. As well, the government will host six roundtable meetings with various stakeholders across the country.
These public consultations will help inform new defence policies that the government hopes to release in early 2017, Sajjan said.
"I want an opportunity for all Canadians and I encourage all Canadians to actually participate in this," Sajjan said in appearance on CTV's Power Play.
The minister said the consultations will help the government make the decisions required to confront new security threats, including those posed by terror groups like ISIS and Boko Haram, as well as cybersecurity threats.
"Times have changed … in the world, there's a lot more complexity and we need to refocus our defence,” said Sajjan.
"So making sure we have the right makeup, make the right choices (on) how we're going to be working in a multilateral environment around the world."
Sajjan said earlier on Wednesday that the consultations mark the first major public review "of this magnitude" in more than 20 years.
"We will listen to experts and to Canadians about what they want to see from their government," he said, noting that he has consulted with his counterparts in other countries who have undertaken similar reviews.
"My goal is to establish a renewed vision for our military that will be nested in our foreign policy."
During the federal election, the Liberals put forward a broad vision for the future of the Canadian military, pledging to end Canada's role in the anti-ISIS bombing campaign in favour of a training-focused mission. As well, the party promised to return Canada to its traditional role in UN peacekeeping missions. It also promised to cancel plans to buy Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighters and to boost navy spending.
Sajjan said Ottawa is committed to those priorities and also laid out the government's "baseline" approach to national defence for participants in a consultation document.
It includes priorities such as national defence, working in a multilateral environment and a commitment to NATO, Sajjan said.
Sajjan said he wants to encourage Canadians to provide feedback within that context.
"I'm confident when we look at it the staples will always be there and discussions will always lead to the defence of Canada … but there will differences of opinion on how it will be employed. I'm actually encouraged by that," said Sajjan.
"I want people to bring up the evidence base, so that when I look at it I've got a phenomenal panel to be able to advise me as well."
In particular, Sajjan said the Department of National Defence is looking for opinions on its multifaceted approach, which includes ties to areas such as international diplomacy and development.
He also said the government is hoping for feedback on Canada's commitments to dealing with disasters abroad and domestically, as well as its counterterrorism methods.
Sajjan rejected criticism that the consultations are an effort by the government to drag its feet to put off spending commitments.
"(It is) quite the opposite," he said.
"In fact, it is actually going to be making sure we can actually focus our procurement priorities."
He added that he's been told the review can be completed within the department's budget.
Sajjan also said earlier Wednesday that the Department of National Defence will "absolutely" have the funds in place to implement whatever changes are approved from the consultations.
"It is my hope that this consultation process will be the beginning of an ongoing conversation about defence and security, a conversation that will produce a shared Canadian vision for defence," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
