NATO’s head honcho paid Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a visit in Ottawa yesterday to discuss — over a fancy dinner, we’re sure — why Canada won’t spend more on its military.
Driving the news: This week, NATO confirmed that 23 countries in the alliance are on pace to hit a defence spending target of 2% of GDP by the end of the year, putting Canada in an increasingly small (and unpopular) group of countries that aren’t hitting the benchmark.
- Defence Minister Bill Blair doubled down on Canada’s commitment to its allies during the NATO head’s visit, promising that Canada would eventually hit the target.
Catch-up: Canada recently unveiled a plan to boost its defence spending by $8 billion over the next five years, bringing its spending from 1.33% of GDP to 1.76% by 2030. The feds say a serious personnel shortage is standing in the way of making bigger commitments.
- Unimpressed with that commitment, the U.S.’s NATO ambassador and a group of 23 senators called out Ottawa last month for not having any plan to reach the target.
Why it matters: The 2% commitment isn’t legally binding, but the number has become a major political chip as more countries hit the benchmark. Some experts say that if Canada doesn’t spend more, it could hurt its standing with some of its closest allies.—LA