Trudeau says Canada can meet NATO's military spending benchmark by 2032
The Trudeau government has been under increasing pressure from allies to ramp up investments in defence
Following a blizzard of criticism from allies — most notably the United States — the Liberal government announced Thursday that it hopes to meet NATO's military investment benchmark of two per cent of alliance members' gross domestic products by 2032.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the statement at the close of the alliance's annual summit in Washington — even as he sharply questioned the worthiness of the goal.
"We continually step up and punch above our weight, something that isn't always reflected in the crass mathematical calculation that certain people turn to very quickly," Trudeau said. "Which is why we've always questioned the two per cent as the be-all, end-all of evaluating contributions to NATO."
The timeline was delivered with few details. Trudeau said the goal will be met by investing in new defence capabilities, such as submarines, which are not yet costed or approved.
Multiple western leaders attending this week's NATO summit in Washington have said that all allies need to meet the military investment benchmark in an increasingly volatile world.
NATO has asked each of its 32 members to deliver a plan to meet the two per cent goal, if they haven't already. Twenty-three NATO allies are meeting the two per cent commitment now.
Canada currently sets aside a sum equivalent to 1.3 per cent of its GDP for the military. It has a plan to reach 1.76 per cent by the end of the decade, but NATO, the United States and the Canadian business community have been insisting that the federal government deliver some kind of plan to get to two per cent.
Trudeau met with U.S. lawmakers and representatives of the business community this week. He insisted he faced no pressure either on Capitol Hill or at the summit table.
"It actually hasn't been a political problem this week," he said "It has been a conversation and allies have been pleased to hear that we have a plan and a timeline to get to two per cent."
His message got a mixed response from U.S. lawmakers.
'Shocking and unacceptable'
Sen. Roger Wicker, the highest-ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, met with the prime minister and heard his pitch.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Wicker acknowledged Canada's timeline and urged Trudeau to meet it.
"It's shocking and unacceptable that some allies, especially some capable ones, have yet to reach the two per cent requirement that they agreed to," Wicker said in reference to last year's NATO summit, where Canada agreed with its allies to make two per cent an enduring commitment.
"Canada is among this group, which has not and for several years in the future will not reach its need."
On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen released a statement saying the Biden administration is pleased to see Canada present a timeline for meeting the target.
The government has committed to a regular cycle of defence reviews. The next one is set for 2028.
"We will continue to explore opportunities that will further increase defence spending and advance Canada's strategic interests," Trudeau said.
The announcement of a timeline without details did not quell criticism of Canada's defence spending — especially now that some allies, notably Poland, are calling for the NATO benchmark to be moved even higher.
Last month, the Business Council of Canada warned the government that it needed to go into the NATO summit with a plan and a clear statement for allies.
On Thursday, the group representing the country's top CEOs said it was disappointed by the lack of detail in the timeline.
"The announcement does not clarify how any new defence investments will be fiscally sustainable," the Business Council of Canada said in a media statement. It also urged the government to meet the benchmark by at least the end of the decade.
"Given the lack of detail, today's announcement is unlikely to address the many frustrations and concerns expressed by leaders this week in Washington D.C.," the statement added.
Officials with the council say Canada's reluctance to spend more on defence than planned comes up repeatedly with American lawmakers when they try to talk with them about business and economic matters.
Time is a factor. If former U.S. president Donald Trump regains the White House in this fall's election, Canada could face even more pressure to step up defence spending.
Elbridge Colby, a prominent Trump supporter who could play a key national security role in a new Republican administration, also criticized the vagueness of the timeline and warned Canada needs to be prepared to go further.
"I think it's progress but inadequate," Colby said in a text message. "We now need to see 2.5 per cent realistically as a baseline. Especially with countries, like Canada, that have dismantled their militaries."
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