Diefenbaker of Canada agreed to stop making major weapons in 1959 and wound down Canada’s military from 5% of GDP to about 2% of GDP over 6 years

Canada outsourced most of military to the USA starting in about 1957-1964 when defense spending went from about 5% of GDP to about 2.5% of GDP. It was the deal that the US pressured Canada into accepting in 1957-1964. Canada agreed. The US wanted to have the bulk of military spending and responsibility and wanted all of the military manufacturing.

Canada had 1.1 million people who served in World War 2. By the end of the War, Canada had the world’s fourth largest air force and third largest navy.

Canada had a population of about 12 million people during world war 2.

Canada had 26000 soldiers in the Korea War.

North American Aerospace Defense Command was formed in 1958

Canada’s greatest aeronautical achievement was the CF-105 (supersonic Avro Arrow) jet fighter, and the subsequent cancellation of the project in 1959 still remains a story of political intrigue and controversy.

Prime Minister Diefenbaker was under pressure from the US to join their defence plan by acquiring the American Bomarc missiles. Faced with the skyrocketing costs, and the inability to sell the Arrow to Europe or the US, Diefenbaker cancelled the project on February 20,1959. An angry A.V. Roe immediately fired his 14,000 employees, and the government ordered all plans and prototypes destroyed.

Corrected chart of GDP spend with every 0.5% of GDP marked

Since 1959, Canada buys pretty much all of its major military hardware from the USA.

Canada’s military spending went down to 2% of GDP by about 1965 and since the 1970s has been around 1% of GDP.

The Government ordered all plans and prototypes destroyed for the Avro Arrow

I think the US ordered Canada to destroy the Avro Arrow’s that were completed and destroy the parts.

Many of the workers ended up at US fighter plane companies and at NASA.

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