target while visiting the nation’s capital Wednesday, suggesting the billions of dollars in new investments — while notable — are not enough.said Canada’s updated defence policy, which commits $8 billion over five years and projects the defence budget’s share of GDP to rise to 1.76 per cent by then, is “important” for strengthening NATO and ensuring its collective security.
“But when we reduce defence spending when tensions are going down, we must also be able to increase spending, investments in security, when tensions are increasing and are as high as they are today.”Stoltenberg has touted that 23 out of 32 NATO allies are set to meet or exceed the two per cent target this year, more than double the number in 2021.He has credited Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to that increase, as European allies confronted the heightened threat posed by Moscow.
Defence Minister Bill Blair has repeatedly said he expects Canada to make additional investments beyond those outlined in the defence policy update that will get Canada to two per cent. However, he has not said when that might happen. Treasury Board President Anita Anand, a former defence minister, told reporters Tuesday that getting Canada to that two per cent target requires a solid plan on how to use the money effectively. The investments that will get to 1.76 per cent have been properly allocated to specific procurements, she explained.“It does not make rational sense to pile money into one department, unless they can effectively utilize that money,” she said while heading into a cabinet meeting in Ottawa.