National Defence seeks ‘Gender-Based Analysis Plus’ trainers as Ottawa ramps up NATO spending

Canada’s Department of National Defence is looking for outside contractors to deliver “Gender-based Analysis Plus” training to military personnel and leaders, as the Carney government simultaneously works to dramatically increase defence spending to meet its NATO commitments.

A new federal procurement notice published Wednesday seeks “GBA Plus Training Facilitators” to deliver courses across the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

The 12-month contract is expected to begin September 28 and run through part of the 2027-28 fiscal year. The tender does not list an estimated contract value.

“The objective of this requirement is for the contractor to provide the services of training facilitators for the delivery of the Conducting GBA Plus in the Defence Context advanced course and the delivery of the Conducting GBA Plus in the Defence Context – Leaders’ course,” the procurement notice states.

The contract will be awarded through a competitive process based on a combination of technical merit and price. Bids close August 27.

GBA Plus is a federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) ***ytical framework intended to ***ess how policies and programs may affect different groups based on factors including gender, age, disability, ethnicity, geography and income.

WOW

The Department of National Defence changed its screening process for permanent residents, leading to a sharp increase in recruitment.

Over a six-month period, 763 permanent residents were recruited, compared to just 177 over the previous 30 months. pic.twitter.com/fLB6eUHWCw

— Juno News (@junonewscom) April 20, 2026

The procurement comes as Canada faces sustained pressure to increase military spending and rebuild Canadian Armed Forces capabilities after years of personnel shortages, aging equipment and procurement problems.

LILLEY UNLEASHED: Free men’s room tampons won’t fix troubles at Canadian Armed Forces pic.twitter.com/S2HWdszf5R

— Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) January 9, 2024

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in June that Canada would reach NATO’s longstanding target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence in the 2025-26 fiscal year, five years earlier than previously planned. Canada subsequently joined NATO allies in committing to a new target of five per cent of GDP on defence and defence-related expenditures by 2035.

Mark Carney on Trump and NATO spending: “It’s not just he’s winning the argument, he’s won the argument. Countries recognize that they need to take more responsibility.” pic.twitter.com/yVXHDNgHJv

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 8, 2026

Despite the renewed focus on combat readiness and military capability, DND’s latest tender shows GBA Plus remains part of the department’s training priorities.

Carney using unwarranted fear to convince Canadians we should be spending billions on war machine equipment now.
Threats towards Canada are changing rapidly? Hypersonic missiles? Autonomous warfare? And it’s going to come from Russia?
From climate grifter to war machine… pic.twitter.com/gBj3RtOVxo

— Ryan Gerritsen🇨🇦🇳🇱 (@ryangerritsen) July 8, 2026

The solicitation, W7809S27518, was published on CanadaBuys on August 12.