Canada on 'clear path' to attain NATO’s 2% military spending target: Trudeau

HAMILTON, Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday emphasized Canada's commitment to increasing its military spending, stating the country is on track to meet NATO's target of 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the coming years.

"We are on a clear path to reach 2% in the coming years because we know that the world is changing, and Canada, along with our allies, needs to be ready for it," he said at the 70th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Montreal.

Noting the longstanding challenge of meeting NATO’s spending threshold, Trudeau said: "One of the challenges we’ve always had with the 2% is that it doesn’t really matter what you spend it on, what matters is that you just reach that limit, and Canada has never felt that way."

"We’ve made sure that our investments are as concrete as possible and contributing to the capacity of Canadians to continue to be involved in leading in so many different NATO aspects," he said.

Trudeau further highlighted the “extraordinary importance” of NATO amid "geopolitical conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism."

"We need to continue to commit ourselves every day to NATO and the principles that keep us safe in this uncertain world," he added.

In early April, Trudeau announced massive military spending of CAN$73 billion (US$53.7 billion) over the next 20 years to beef up its military. Some CAN$8 billion ($5.6 billion) is targeted for the next five years, bringing the country’s military spending to 1.76% of GDP, still short of the NATO alliance defense spending goal of 2% agreed to by members.