Canada to meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year: Carney

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is pledging that Canada will achieve NATO’s spending target of two per cent of GDP on defence this year — five years ahead of his prior commitment which promised to meet the mark by 2030 . Carney, who is set to attend the NATO Summit later this month, made the announcement in a speech at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy in Toronto on Monday. He said Canada’s strategy is focused on four pillars: investing in the men and women who serve, expanding and enhancing military capabilities, strengthening the government’s relationship with the defence industry and diversifying Canada’s defence partnerships. “We will ensure every dollar is invested wisely, including by prioritizing made-in-Canada manufacturing and supply chains,” he said. “We should no longer send three quarters of our defence capital spending to America.” Carney said the government will invest in new submarines, aircraft, ships, armed vehicles and artillery, as well as new radar, drones and sensors. He also committed to a larger and sustained Canadian Armed Forces presence in Canada’s north, year-round. He said the government will expand the reach and security mandate of the Canadian Coast Guard and integrate those investments into Canada’s defence capabilities. And he said members of the Canadian Armed Forces will receive a “well-deserved” salary bump. “We will further accelerate our investments in the years to come, consistent with meeting our new security imperatives,” he said. “Our goal is to protect Canadians, not to satisfy NATO accountants,” he added. Carney said the department of National Defence will “immediately” design a new defence policy, “informed by experts and the experience of allies and partners, including Ukraine.” He also committed to create a new Defence Procurement Agency that will be overseen by Stephen Fuhr, his Secretary of State for Defence Procurement. Carney called on all parties in Parliament to support these “critical investments in our security and sovereignty” but did not say if and when legislation will be tabled to approve billions in new defence spending. He will be taking questions from reporters this afternoon. National Post calevesque@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.