What will it take to defend Canada? Experts say party platforms miss the target

"I think there's far more similarity than there is difference," said Dave Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

It is, he said, significant that the parties agree on meeting the NATO benchmark, which allies, including Canada, originally pledged to work toward in 2014 following Russia's invasion of Crimea.

"Canadians need to be aware that we've landed on actually living up to the set of commitments we promised to deliver on 11 years ago, just as our allies move on to a new set of commitments when it comes to the share of our economy we're investing in defence."