Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is on a “clear path” to meeting NATO’s defense spending target in the coming years, as pressure grows on Ottawa in the wake of the US election.
Addressing NATO’s annual parliamentary assembly in Montreal on Monday, Trudeau said Canada has so far ensured that its investments in targeted NATO spending are “as concrete as possible,” but added that more needs to be done.
“We are on a clear path to reach 2% in the coming years because we know the world is changing and Canada and our allies must be prepared for that,” Trudeau said.
Canada is one of only eight NATO members that do not meet the alliance’s standard of spending at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence, but has pledged to get there by 2032.
Trudeau said Canada added $175 billion to its spending target. Canada’s updated defense policy forecast expects spending to rise from 1.37 per cent of GDP currently to 1.76 per cent by 2030.
However, the parliamentary budget officer said Canada’s plan to meet NATO’s defense spending target remains unclear and that current projections for increased military spending are based on “false” economic projections.
Get daily national news
Get the day’s top political, economic and current affairs news, headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“One of the challenges we always have with 2 per cent is that it doesn’t really matter what you spend it on, what matters is that you get there, and Canada has never felt that way,” Trudeau said.
“We have ensured that our investments are as tangible as possible, and contribute to the ability of Canadians to continue to participate in the leadership of many different aspects of NATO.”
“We have to do more, and we are doing more, but intensifying efforts particularly in the Arctic, intensifying some of the most important challenges we face is something that all NATO countries can continue to count on Canada for.”
Following Donald Trump’s election victory earlier this month, there is increasing pressure on Canada to meet the NATO target since the Republican president-elect previously warned that the United States may not defend allies who do not meet the alliance’s agreed-upon 2 per cent of Their obligations. GDP on defence.
He speaks to Mercedes Stephenson of the Halifax International Security Forum in an interview that aired Sunday Western blocRepublican Senator James Risch of Idaho and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire played down concerns that Trump will punish Canada on things like trade if it does not ramp up defense spending.
But Risch noted that Washington is growing impatient with Canada’s progress toward meeting NATO’s benchmark of spending at least 2 per cent on defence, which Ottawa says it plans to meet eight years from now.
“If Donald Trump were sitting here, you’d be giggling in 2032, because that’s so far away from what we’re dealing with in the world now,” he said.
“This is eternity on the road for us. This must be done now.”
Over the weekend, anti-NATO and pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Montreal.
About 80 people took part in the anti-NATO protest on Saturday, demanding Canada withdraw from the alliance, in the city’s downtown area organized by Le Movement Québécois pour la Paix. The demonstrators were carrying banners reading “Canada is outside NATO” and chanting “Solidarity with Palestine.”
A demonstration organized by various groups on Friday resulted in arrests, burning cars, and smashing windows.
Trudeau joined Canadian ministers and politicians in condemning the violence, saying it was “completely unacceptable.”
“As a democracy, and as a country that has always defended freedom of expression, it is important that people can go out and protest and express their anger and differences in free and comfortable ways, but there is never any room to oppose that.” – Semitism, hatred, discrimination and violence.
He added: “We expect that all those responsible will be prosecuted and punished according to the law, and we expect the authorities to do their job.”
– With files from Sean Boynton of Global News and The Canadian Press
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
