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Any such announcements could give some relief in an election year to the Conservatives, who have been accused by opposition MPs of bungling military purchases.

“They have to be seen to be doing something besides making more announcements about military equipment projects planned for the future,” said Martin Shadwick, a defence analyst at York University in Toronto.

Although the Conservative government markets itself as military-friendly, it has had problems pushing forward a number of military equipment purchases.

Projects to buy new search-and-rescue aircraft, as well as drones, are years behind schedule. The arrival of new ships for the navy is years away. The Conservatives once talked about purchasing new fighter jets by 2016 but that initiative is now expected to happen sometime after 2025.

Defence analysts and opposition MPs have pointed out that under the Conservatives the amount of spending on the military has slipped to around one per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). NATO is encouraging its member nations, including Canada, to spend two per cent of their GDP on defence.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has defended his record on military spending, noting that its budget has continued to climb annually since he came to power.

Defence Minister Jason Kenney has pointed out that new equipment, such as C-17 and C-130J transport planes, have been purchased, along with Chinook helicopters. He has countered criticism about much delayed equipment purchases by claiming the previous Liberal government did not buy a single major piece of military equipment except for maritime helicopters.