Canada and other members of NATO’s military alliance agreed in 2014 to increase their defense spending to 2% of their gross domestic product. However, a new report released by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday estimates that Canada’s defense spending will actually decline as a percentage of GDP this year. In the run-up to the NATO summit in Spain, where defense spending will be the focus, Trinto says Canada is investing more money in new North American fighter jets and defenses. He also says that Canada has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to the military alliance by boosting developments in Latvia and elsewhere. The prime minister bypassed a question on whether Canada was ready to send more troops to Latvia, as NATO seeks to double the size of its forces across the Baltic. This Canadian Press report was first published on June 28, 2022
title: “Trinto Defends Military Spending Ahead Of Nato Summit " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-16” author: “Martin Salvadore”
The members of the 30-member military alliance agreed in 2014 to increase their defense spending to 2% of their national Gross Domestic Product and the goal is expected to be at the forefront when the leaders meet in Spain on Wednesday. However, a new report published by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg estimates that Canada’s defense spending will fall as a percentage of GDP to 1.27% this year, from 1.32 per cent last year and 1.42 per cent in 2020. The report did not specify the reason for the expected reduction or whether it includes $ 8 billion in new military spending that was promised in the April federal budget and the purpose of which has not been clearly defined. Asked about the report during a press conference at the end of this year’s G7 summit in Germany as he prepared to head to Madrid for the NATO leaders’ summit, Trinto said the government had announced several “significant” new investments. That includes $ 4.9 billion to upgrade Norad, the shared US-Canadian system used to detect incoming air and naval threats in North America, and plans to purchase new fighter jets to replace the aging CFs. The Prime Minister also said that Canada has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to the NATO alliance by deploying troops and equipment to various missions, including leading a multinational NATO force in Latvia. “Canada has always been part of NATO missions and continues to grow significantly,” Trinto said. “We know how important it is to accelerate and we will continue to do so to ensure that people know they can count on Canada to be involved in promoting democracy, the rule of law and opportunities for all.” he added. Successive Canadian governments have shown little appetite to meet the two per cent spending target, which the parliamentary budget official estimates would require an additional $ 75 billion over the next five years. Instead, they highlighted Canada’s many other commitments to the alliance, including providing 700 Canadian troops to Latvia along with several naval warships to assist NATO patrols in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. This is despite the fact that Canada agreed to the goal, as well as repeated urgings from Stoltenberg and criticism from US officials in Washington who called on Ottawa to invest more in its military and collective defense. The continuing decline in Canadian defense spending as a share of GDP will almost certainly lead to even sharper questions for Trinto in Madrid than expected, said defense analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. This is especially true given the confusion surrounding the government’s announcement last week that it plans to invest in Norad’s modernization, with uncertainty about where the money actually comes from, when it will be spent and what. “I suppose they were hoping to send a message to the mainland defense that no matter what happens in Europe, Canada has other defense commitments and that contributes to the overall security of the alliance,” Perry said. “But the mechanics of the way the mainland piece was released would remove some of it.” It is also worrying that defense spending is on a downward trajectory as Canada faces pressure to contribute more abroad and faces significant shortages of military personnel and equipment, said Robert Baines of the NATO Alliance of Canada. “I have always been surprised that Prime Minister Trinto has the opportunity to dance to the very serious defense situation facing Canada,” Baines said. “I try to do so much and then we have so many resource issues and challenges.” To that end, Trinto sidestepped a question about whether Canada was ready to send more troops to Latvia, as NATO seeks to double the size of its forces across Eastern Europe in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Latvia’s ambassador to Canada told the Canadian Press earlier this week that Canada was in talks with allies to strengthen the Canadian-led battle force in his country. The battle group in Latvia is one of four established by NATO in 2017, with Germany leading another such unit in Lithuania and Britain and the United States responsible for forces in Estonia and Poland, respectively. Germany and Britain have both said in recent weeks that they are ready to lead larger combat units in Lithuania and Estonia, but Canada has so far remained silent about its plans in Latvia. Trinto will also not say whether Canada is ready to put more troops on high alert, as Stoltenberg announced Monday that the alliance plans to increase the number of troops on standby from 40,000 to 300,000. “We are working closely with NATO partners, with the NATO secretary general, and especially with the Latvians, where Canada is leading the (battle group) and is committed to ensuring that we continue to resist the Russians,” Trinto said. “We, like others, are developing plans to be able to escalate quickly,” he added. “And these are discussions that I look forward to having in the next two days in NATO.” Baines predicted that any additional troops and equipment added to the Canadian-led battle group in Latvia would come mainly from other NATO members as Canada has just recently deployed more troops to the region. The government announced in February that it was sending an artillery unit and 100 additional troops to reinforce the 600 Canadian troops already in the Baltic state. He also recently deployed two additional warships in the area. Perry said it remained unclear how much more the Canadian military, which does not have about 10,000 troops, should have. “Maybe we can find more in the back of the closet,” he said. “But if the alliance is to be strengthened collectively with some additional troop and equipment commitments, then I am sure there will be a lot of pressure on us to join as well.” This Canadian Press report was first published on June 28, 2022. – With archives from Lee Berthiaume in Ottawa
