The Opportunity Cost of A War

Justin Trudeau’s government has now pledged a staggering $25 billion to Ukraine—money that could have instead gone to feeding the hungry, housing people experiencing homelessness, and addressing Canada’s growing crisis of addiction and mental health. This level of spending on a foreign war, which has already left over 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers dead and 370,000 wounded, along with over 12,600 civilian deaths, is not just a question of foreign policy—it’s a question of priorities.

Freedom, of course, has no price. If Canada is genuinely helping Ukraine remain free, then support is not inherently bad, and I am not suggesting it is. History has shown time and again that defending a sovereign country from an invader is noble, and few would dispute that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an act of aggression. If Canadian aid truly ensured the survival of a free and democratic Ukraine, the expense would be easier to justify. But is that what’s happening? Or is Canada simply fueling a war of attr…