Defense Minister to Seek Assistance from Trump Administration to Achieve 2 Percent NATO Spending Goal

November 25, 2024 TruthUSA

Defence Minister Bill Blair expressed his strong focus on increasing Canada’s military spending, aiming for enhanced cooperation with the incoming U.S. administration and the defense industry to meet the NATO spending target.

“I plan to seek assistance from the new administration,” Blair stated at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute conference in Ottawa on Nov. 25.

The minister highlighted the need to invest billions of dollars in new equipment and mentioned that obtaining approval from the U.S. Congress for foreign sales would be beneficial. Blair also acknowledged challenges in engaging in strategic discussions with U.S. defense companies due to the regulations governing foreign military sales.

Addressing an audience that included leaders in the defense industry, Blair emphasized the necessity of a stronger partnership with them to acquire military equipment promptly.

Under pressure from allies to increase military spending to meet the NATO guideline of at least 2 percent of GDP, Canada had not expressed intentions to achieve this goal in its updated defense policy released in April, aiming to reach 1.76 percent by 2030.

At the NATO summit in July, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would reach the 2 percent mark by 2032, although the detailed plan to achieve this objective has not been publicly disclosed. NATO estimates that Canada will have spent 1.37 percent of its GDP on defense by 2024.

With U.S. president-elect Donald Trump set to return to the White House in early 2025, pressure is expected to increase on NATO member countries to fulfill their commitments. Trump has been critical of NATO countries that fall short on their alliance obligations.

Blair indicated that he does not see the pressure from allies as a threat but recognizes that Canada must do more.

“I am not in conflict with anyone; I am simply asking for assistance. I need support from all of you, from our allies, and from the leadership of these industries to facilitate a more efficient and timely investment process that Canada acknowledges it must and will undertake,” Blair conveyed to the conference attendees.

The defense minister mentioned meeting with a delegation from the United States Congress at the Halifax International Security Forum, where he reiterated the importance of reaching the 2 percent target.

Trudeau, speaking on the same day at a NATO parliamentary alliance meeting in Montreal, attributed the below-2-percent defense spending during the previous Conservative government to the necessity of his government “stepping up big time.”

NATO data shows that Canada spent 1.01 percent and 1.20 percent of its GDP on defense in 2014 and 2015, respectively, during the final years of the Stephen Harper government. By 2024, eight NATO countries still spend below the 2 percent target.

Trudeau affirmed the commitment to reaching the 2 percent mark in the near future to prepare for global changes, despite facing criticism on defense spending from U.S. officials.

“If Donald Trump were here, he would laugh at the 2032 goal, as the current global situation demands immediate action,” Republican Senator James Risch stated in an interview with Global News from the Halifax International Security Forum.

“We need to act now,” Risch emphasized.

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