Canada is on a “clear path” to hit NATO’s defence spending target over the coming years, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, as pressure ramps up on Ottawa in the wake of the U.S. election.
Addressing the annual NATO parliamentary assembly in Montreal on Monday, Trudeau said Canada has so far made sure that its investments in targeted NATO spending “are as concrete as possible,” but added that more needs to be done.
“We are on a clear path to reach two per cent in the coming years because we know that the world is changing and Canada, along with our allies, needs to be ready for it,” Trudeau said.
Canada is one of just eight NATO members not meeting the alliance’s benchmark of spending at least two per cent of GDP on defence, but has pledged to get there by 2032.
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Trudeau said Canada added $175 billion in targeted spending. Canada’s updated defence policy forecasts spending will rise from 1.37 per cent of GDP …