After being the NATO punching bag this week in D.C., Canada has finally given its allies what they wanted… sort of.
What happened: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada is aiming to reach NATO’s 2% of GDP defence spending target by 2032, though he offered up scant details about how the feds plan to hit the benchmark.
- Canada is one of only nine NATO countries to not reach the target this year. The feds say a serious defence personnel shortage is one of the biggest roadblocks.
- It’s been a busy summit for Canada, including a new pact with Finland and the U.S. to build icebreaking ships and a soft commitment to buy 12 new Arctic submarines.
Why it matters: With some allies like Poland pushing to make the target even higher, a detail-less plan to hit the current benchmark in under eight years isn’t likely to put the criticism of Canada’s defence spending — and the reputational risks that come with it — to bed.
Zoom out: Matters won’t get easier if Donald Trump is back in the White House next year. Trump has previously said the U.S. shouldn’t defend allies that don’t meet the defence target and has even threatened to abandon the alliance entirely.—LA