House calls for Canada to meet NATO defence spending target on eve of budget

On the eve of the federal budget, the House of Commons passed a motion calling for the federal government to increase its national defence spending to “at least” meet the NATO target of two per cent gross domestic product (GDP).

The motion was carried 303 to 27, with the Conservatives, Liberals, and Bloc Quebecois all voting in favour of it. The NDP and the Green Party’s two MPs voted against it. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has long called the target “arbitrary.”

Conservative defence critic Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who sponsored the motion, said the vote outcome is “troubling” given the Liberal, NDP confidence-and-supply agreement.

“How can our NATO allies be confident that Canada will continue to be a trusted security partner when NDP members of Prime Minister Trudeau’s NDP-Liberal government vote against the principle of meeting our NATO spending commitments,” she said in a statement.

While not binding, the motion is symbolic leading up to the release of the Liberal’s budget on Thursday as they face mounting calls to boost military spending.

Several countries have increased their defence spending commitments in accordance with NATO’s 2014 Wales Summit Declaration since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has commended Canada for its contributions to the alliance but has asked all allies to “step up” in light of the Eastern European crisis.

A new NATO report shows that Greece allocated the most in defence spending among NATO members in 2021, contributing 3.59 per cent of its GDP, followed by the U.S. at 3.57 per cent, Poland at 2.34 per cent and the U.K. at 2.25 per cent.

Canada, meanwhile, spent 1.36 per cent of its GDP on defence last year.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer told CTV News Channel’s Power Play that for Canada to reach two per cent, it would have to set aside between $20 to $25 billion per year.

“Because GDP is growing, there’s inflation…That means that if you want to meet two per cent of a growing base you have to spend more and we’re far from that two per cent target as it is, so anywhere between $20 to 25 billion more per year, every year, to meet that two per cent target,” he said.

Both Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly have indicated that Canada intends to bring more to the table but haven’t committed to a specific amount.