NATO Has a Canadian Problem

NATO members in Western Europe have come under a barrage of criticism in recent years for not spending enough on defense and not taking their own national security seriously. Despite some recent developments, this is a fair wage. Still one of these least responsible NATO members are definitely not in Europe. This is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Canada.

in 2014 NATO Members have adhered to a defense spending guideline of 2 percent of GDP. At the time, only three allies had achieved this goal. However, since Russia invaded Ukraine, many NATO countries stepped up its commitments We aim to increase defense spending, and most NATO members are now meeting this spending target.

However, the Canadian government is one of the few NATO allies that has failed to meet these requirements. 2 percent defense spending threshold.

Canada is neither a small country nor a poor country. It has an excellent capacity to meet its treaty obligations. Still only spends a little 1.37 percent of GDP costs defense or about $30.5 billion a year. Although Canada has the sixth largest GDP among NATO countries, it ranks twenty-seventh in terms of defense spending as a percentage of GDP. For comparison, the United States third highest The NATO member country ranks just behind Poland and Estonia in terms of percentage of GDP (3.38 percent).

Canada is more than capable of meeting its obligations and has done so before. During the Cold War, Canada was a extremely talented A member of NATO whose contributions to deterring the Soviet Union are absolutely critical to the security of the hemisphere.

The need to spend more on defense is particularly salient for Canada, as threats to NATO do not come solely from Eastern Europe. Canada also needs to take Arctic and North American security much more seriously. Arctic It emerges as an area of ​​critical interest that is rich in terms of unused resources And new navigation routes This situation attracts the attention of our competitors.

China and Russia are actively increasing their presence in the North Pacific Ocean as they seek to expand towards the Arctic. In late September, officials from both countries announced a “comprehensive strategic partnershipaimed to advance its initiatives in the region. Chinese It describes itself as a “near-Arctic” state (although it is not near the North Pole) and has announced its intention to build a “Polar Silk Road”.

US Coast Guard on September 28 I saw Chinese and Russian Just south of the Arctic Circle, in the Bering Sea, St. Coast guard ships near St. Lawrence Island. With increasing “near-Arctic” encounters, Canada should strengthen its defenses against potential attacks from China and Russia along its Arctic coastline and not rely on the United States for the security of the Arctic.

Canadian Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu put it:

“We can no longer ignore threats to our sovereignty… Foreign powers are already testing our resolve, whether with spy balloons in the air or observation buoys on the water. We are too dependent on the United States for the defense of the Arctic; “As a northern country, we must fulfill our responsibilities.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans Achieving NATO’s 2 percent defense spending target. But these plans will not enable Canada to reach the target by 2032. This eight-year timeline is too slow. No other NATO ally has presented such a lackluster plan.

Trudeau’s priorities appear to be elsewhere. His priorities for the Ministry of Defense were:Create an inclusive and diverse environmentThe defense team prioritizes eliminating “anti-Black racism, LGBTQ2 bias, gender discrimination, and white supremacy.” Prime Minister Trudeau would do better to spend Canadian resources strengthening Canada’s military readiness and ensuring Canada can defend itself and its allies.

Canada’s continued underinvestment, NATO Failure to fulfill obligations weakens the overall defense of both the alliance as a whole and the North American continent. Canadians deserve better.