Canada reviewing defence spending ‘top to bottom’ as NATO eyes 5%: minister – National

Ottawa examines her defense expenses Plans “from top to bottom”, Minister of Defense David McGuinty said on Thursday, when Canada is under pressure from allies to increase spending at levels that we have not seen since the greatest war in the Cold War.

McGuinty said the federal government will have more to say “very soon” about its alliance spending commitments and “will make announcements in this regard”.

“Canada is currently returning all its expenses up and down,” he told journalists to NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

“Most recently, our Prime Minister announced a new effort of $ 6 billion to guarantee our Arctic, Canada, Arctic. So we work very hard now with colleagues to implement a series of changes. We will have much more to say about this subject financially in a very short time. ”

McGuinty is in Belgium which participates in the meeting of NATO defense ministers, the last major NATO meeting before the leadership of leaders later this month – where members should agree to increase their defense expenditure targets.

Defense ministers meet to write “capacity targets” – mainly racing lists that detailed the types of weapons that the 32 member countries need to buy.

Priority purchases lists include air and anti -missile defense systems, artillery, ammunition and drones.

“Today, we decide the capacity objectives. From there, we will assess the shortcomings that we have, not only to be able to defend ourselves today, but also in three, five years,” said NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte.

Canada is subjected to high pressure to increase its defense expenses to 5% of GDP – a three -point increase in the current target.

Ottawa has long had trouble respecting the current reference of 2% and spent only 1.33% of its GDP in defense in 2023, according to a recent NATO report. The NATO Secretary General’s annual report published in April said that Canada’s defense expenses would reach 1.45% for 2024.

The leaders of the Allied nations will meet on June 24 and 25 in the Netherlands for the annual NATO summit, where they are largely expected to agree on a massive hike to their commitments of defense spending – mainly at the request of the American president Donald Trump.

The US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said on Thursday at the NATO headquarters door, which he expects to expect that member countries getting 5% at the top.

“To be an alliance, you must be more than flags,” he said. “We are here to continue the work that President Trump began, a 5% commitment in this alliance, which, in our view, will happen – this must happen – by this summit in The Hague later this month.”

Trend now

• Man hunting continues for Travis Decker, dad accused of having murdered 3 girls

• Carney says that the record for record trade shows that his plan is the “good strategy”

No member country currently meets the 5% reference – not even the United States. Hegseth did not take any questions when he spoke to journalists when he entered the building.

The plan presented at the top would include member countries to spend 3.5% of annual GDP on basic defense needs – such as jets and other weapons – and 1.5% in defense areas such as infrastructure, cybersecurity and industry.

Canada has not spent the equivalent of 5% of its GDP in defense since 1957, according to data from the International Peace Research Institute in Stockholm. The last time he spent 2%was in 1990.

The government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that once Canada buys up to 12 new submarines to replace its aging Victoria class submarines, it should achieve the target of 2%. Ottawa plans to grant a contract for the new submarines fleet by 2028.

Prime Minister Mark Carney promised during the recent electoral campaign to increase the Canada deadline to reach the 2% threshold from 2032 to 2030 or earlier.

McGuinty said Thursday that Canada was perfectly aware of how the global security environment has changed and looks at geopolitical risks to increase.

“We did not illustrate ourselves with the extent of the challenges to come,” he said. “The uninsured and brutal war of Russia against Ukraine continues to destabilize the world security landscape. China’s growing ambitions and increasingly affirmative behaviors erod stability in Indo-Pacific. And the erratic actions of regimes such as North Korea and Iran undermines the order based on rules.

“Faced with these growing threats, we all have to do more. We will all do more. “

– with files from the Associated Press

& Copy 2025 the Canadian press