CMFMAG TeamCanada reaffirmed its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by promising to bolster the country’s defence spending at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.
Held at the beginning of July, the Summit included attendance from Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, and then-Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre.
During their time in Washington, both Prime Minister Trudeau and Blair touched on Canada’s defence spending commitment to Ukraine and the country’s overall commitment to the NATO alliance.
“Canada’s commitment to NATO remains steadfast. Since 1949, we have proudly contributed to almost every NATO operation, and we continue to strengthen the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture. Together with our Allies, we will stand together against actors that threaten our individual and collective security to protect Canadians and defend the rules-based international order,” said Blair.
Increasing Defence Spending
According to NATO, in 2014, NATO Heads of State and Governments agreed to commit two per cent of their national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence spending, ensuring the organization and its members continued military readiness.
“In 2024, 23 Allies are expected to meet or exceed the target of investing at least 2% of GDP in defence, compared to only three Allies in 2014. Over the past decade, European Allies and Canada have steadily increased their collective investment in defence – from 1.43% of their combined GDP in 2014, to 2.02% in 2024, when they are investing a combined total of more than USD 430 billion in defence,” stated NATO website.
At the 2024 Summit, partner countries agreed on investing at least two per cent of their GDP annually in defence. Following up on this commitment, Trudeau and Blair announced, during the Summit, that Canada expects to reach this target by 2032.
A Department of National Defence (DND) press release stated: “To reach the 2% target by 2032, Canada will invest in the right mix of these additional capabilities on the right timeline, implementing the vision outlined in this policy.”
Diving deeper into this commitment and increasing its spending and procurement, Canada also announced its plans to procure up to 12 conventionally-powered submarines for the Royal Canadian Navy.
Commitment to Ukraine
An important piece at the NATO Summit was the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Canada reiterated its commitment to Ukraine and announced additional military support.
Canada committed an additional $500 million in military assistance that includes:
- Almost $444 million to the Department of National Defence to fund military equipment, assistance, and training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU),
- Over $56 million for the NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) Trust Fund for Ukraine to help rebuild the Ukrainian security and defence sector.
- Also, up to $389 million will be allocated to enhance F-16 pilot training through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Air Force Capability Coalition.
This new announcement, combined with other spending in support of Ukraine, totals $1.1 billion for the year.
During the summit, Canada also expressed its support for the launch of NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) in Wiesbaden, Germany. The NSATU will co-ordinate military training, equipment and logistical support.
Commitments were also made to support Ukraine’s drone capabilities.
Allying with other Nations
During this year’s summit, Canada also aligned with individual countries to support their efforts towards NATO. This included a joint statement from Canada, Finland, and the United States that they would enter a trilateral partnership called the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort.
While in Washington, Blair also met with Germany’s Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, and Norway’s Defence Minister, Bjørn Arild Gram. Canada also signed a trilateral Letter of Intent with these three countries to establish a strategic partnership aiming to bolster maritime cooperation.
Other Speaking Engagements
During his time in Washington, Blair also participated in several other events. According to DND, on July 8 Minister Blair spoke at the Foreign Policy Security Forum to discuss Canada’s Arctic investments. On July 9, alongside Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Joly marked the accreditation of the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE), located in Montreal.
The following day, Blair spoke on a panel on Nordic Security as part of the NATO Public Forum alongside the Defence Ministers of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as the Foreign Minister of Iceland.
