Canada reviews defense spend

Ottawa is reviewing Defense spending Plans “from top to bottom”, Minister of Defense David McGintity He said on Thursday, when Canada was under pressure from the allies to increase spending on levels that have not been seen since the height of the Cold War.

McGaneti said the federal government will have more to say “very soon” about the alliance spending obligations and will be “issuing advertisements in this regard.”

“Canada reconsidates all its expenses at the present time, from top to bottom,” he told reporters in the correspondents. NATO The headquarters in Brussels.

“Recently, our Prime Minister has announced a new effort worth $ 6 billion to secure the Arctic, the Arctic in Canada. So we are now working hard with colleagues to implement a series of changes. We will have a lot to say about it financially in a very short time.”

McGuinty in Belgium participates in the meeting of NATO defense ministers, the last major meeting at the NATO Summit before the Leadership Summit later this month – where members are expected to agree to increase the goals of defense spending.

Defense ministers meet to take “power targets” – basically a shopping that narrates detailing the types of weapons that 32 members need to buy.

Protecting lists of priority include air defense systems, missiles, artillery, ammunition and drones.

“Today we decide the goals of power. From there, we will evaluate the gaps that we have, not only to be able to defend ourselves today, but also three, five or seven years from now,” said Amin NATO Mark Retti.

Canada is under severe pressure to increase its defensive spending to 5 percent of GDP-a three-point rise in the current goal.

Ottawa has long struggled to meet the current standard by 2 percent and spent only 1.33 percent of the GDP of defense in 2023, according to the recent NATO report. The annual report of the General NATO, which was issued in April, said that defensive spending in Canada will reach 1.45 percent for 2024.

The leaders of the allied countries will meet on June 24 and 25 in the Netherlands of the NATO annual summit, where it is widely expected to agree on a huge rise in defensive spending obligations – most of them at the request of US President Donald Trump.

US Defense Minister Beit Higseth said on the threshold of NATO headquarters on Thursday that he expects member states to approve 5 percent at the summit.

“To be an alliance, you must be more than flags,” he said. “We are here to continue the work that President Trump started, a 5 percent commitment to this alliance, which we believe will happen – this must happen – through this summit in The Hague later this month.”

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There is no member country that currently meets with 5 percent measurement – not even the United States. Hegseth did not take any questions when he spoke to correspondents when he entered the building.

The plan, which is presented at the summit, will be committed to members of members of the spending of 3.5 percent of the annual gross domestic product on the basic defensive needs-such as aircraft and other weapons-and 1.5 percent on the areas of defense of infrastructure, cybersecurity and industry.

Canada has not spent 5 percent of the GDP of defense since 1957, according to the data of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The last time I spent 2 percent in 1990.

The government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested that once Canada has purchased up to 12 new submarines to replace the submarine of the old Victoria category, it must meet the goal of 2 percent. Ottawa expects to give a contract for the new fleet of submarines by 2028.

Prime Minister Mark Carney promised during the last election campaign to raise the deadline in Canada to meet the threshold of 2 percent from 2032 to 2030 or sooner.

McGuety said on Thursday that Canada is fully aware of how the global security environment has turned and watched increased geopolitical risks.

“We are not subject to illusions about the upcoming challenges,” he said. “Russia’s unjustified and brutal war against Ukraine continues to destabilize the global security scene. China’s increasing ambitions and firm behavior increasingly lead to the erosion of stability in India and the Pacific Ocean. The wrong actions of regimes such as North Korea and Iran undermine the rules -based arrangement.

“In the face of these increasing threats, we must do everything. We will do more.”

– With files from the Associated Press

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