Canada will meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year: Carney

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Canada will meet NATO’s 2% defence funding benchmark this year, five years earlier than previously forecast.

And, the country is moving ahead with joining ReArm Europe, furthering Canada’s move to distance itself from our reliance on the United States for defence, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Monday.

“Our plan will ensure Canada is strong at home and reliable abroad,” he said at Toronto’s Munk School.

“We will ensure that every dollar is invested wisely, including by prioritizing made-in-Canada manufacturing and supply chains.”

Canada currently spends 1.37% of GDP on defence, far under the 2% required under the terms of NATO membership — a goal Canada has never achieved since its establishment in 2006.

Canada’s defence spending — or lack thereof — was a major criticism of the Justin Trudeau Liberals, and a frequent irritant to the United States, particularly during the Donald Trump presidency.

Canada, Carney said, should no longer send three-quarters of our nation’s defence capital spending south of the border.

He said this new defence plan will create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs for Canadians, and create opportunity for Canadian businesses — from raw materials to the supply chain.

The PM promised investments in new submarines, ships, aircraft, vehicles and artillery — as well as early-warning sensor networks in the Arctic.

Speaking of the north, Carney promised to bolster Canada’s northern frontier with an extended, permanent presence on land, sea and air.

That, he said, will come ahead of further investments planned for the years to come — promising to rebuild, re-arm and reinvest in our military.

“We can defend every inch of our sovereign territory, from the sea floor in the arctic to cyberspace,” he said. “So we can protect Canadians, our interests and our allies.”

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Canada’s military, Carney said, simply doesn’t have the resources it needs, because they are either quickly aging out of usefulness or are obsolete altogether.

“Only one of our four submarines is seaworthy, less than half our maritime fleet and land vehicles are operational, and broadly we’re too reliant on the United States,” Carney said.

Accusing the United States of monetizing its hegemony and becoming a far less reliable partner in both trade and defence, Carney said relying on Canada’s geography to protect it from unrest half a world away is growing increasingly archaic.

Canada, he said, has agency in what comes next.

“Canada can work towards a new international set of partnerships that are more secure, prosperous, just and free,” he said.

“We can pursue deeper alliances with stable democracies, who our interests, values, principles and history.”

Carney is to attend this year’s NATO summit in The Hague later this month.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume