Canada Must Spend More On Defence Now, Not In 15 Years

In 2006, the member countries of NATO agreed to commit a minimum of 2% of their country's gross domestic product on defence spending. Only 5 of the 28 member countries meet that objective. Canada ranks near the bottom at less than 1%. The Government of Canada needs to do a lot more to increase their spending on defence to meet commitment levels. While it may take several years to reach the target level, the process must start now.

Canada's latest budget deferred $8.4 billion in defence equipment purchases to the 2030's. This is not a step forward in meeting its NATO commitments. Notwithstanding the need to address a wide range of social issues that are essential to the well-being of Canadians, the security of Canadians and the commitment to keep Canada safe is no-less important. For most Canadian politicians, spending more than an absolute minimum on defence never seems to be a priority. It doesn't attract a lot of votes like money that is spent on issues that have a higher profile within the country. Unfortunately, defence spending seems to be an issue that is perpetually relegated to the back burner and addressed quite often only when deferring it is no longer an option.

For far too long, many Canadians have felt that terrorism and military aggression was only somewhere else.  As a result, some Canadians have developed a false sense of security perhaps with the thinking that our neighbour to the south would be our protector. If Canada is serious about being a NATO member, it needs to adhere to its commitments. That starts by increasing its spending on defence and not reducing and/or deferring it for 15-20 years.

Prime Minister Trudeau may get more votes when he spends money on internal social programs but he should not be allowed to charm his way out of ignoring the need to respect Canada's financial commitment to NATO.