Blair says Canada can hit NATO spending target sooner but doesnt commit – National [Video]

Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada could hit its NATO defence spending target within just a few years if need be but didn’t commit to doing so.

NATO members have all committed to spend the equivalent of two per cent of its GDP on defence but Canada has consistently failed to reach that target.

Last summer, following backlash from Republican lawmakers in the U.S., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian defence spending would hit the two per cent marker in 2032.

But there was no clear plan to get there, and some military analysts have questioned whether 2032 was possible.

Today when Blair was asked by a reporter if Canada could reach that mark in two years, Blair replied that is “absolutely achievable” but didn’t say it would happen.

He has previously suggested he wants to see the time frame accelerated, but did not offer any clues about how much it could be sped up.

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