Halifax International Security Forum begins Friday [Video]

HALIFAX –

An influential United States Republican senator delivered some blunt criticism of Canada’s military spending on Friday, telling a major security conference in Halifax the federal government has to do better to please president-elect Donald Trump.

In a panel discussion on the first day of the Halifax International Security Forum, Republican Sen. James Risch — who may become the next chair of the U.S. Senate’s foreign relations committee — said he wasn’t speaking for the incoming president.

But he reminded delegates that Canada is failing to reach military spending levels equivalent to two per cent of its GDP — a commitment of the 32 NATO countries — leaving Canada one of a minority of alliance members no longer meeting the target.

“My good friends in Canada say, ‘We’re working on this.’ And we say, ‘What does that mean?’ And they say, ‘We’re kind of looking at (meeting the spending goal) by 2032,”‘ the Idaho …