Canada will reach NATO’s defense spending target of two percent this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Monday, arguing the country had to revitalize its military “to defend every inch of our sovereign territory.”
Carney’s speech at the University of Toronto included stark warnings about the global security order being shaken by US President Donald Trump.
But it extended beyond his concern over future US relations. The prime minister warned Canada has not done enough to prepare itself for evolving threats from China, Russia, cyberattacks and the advancing national security implications of climate change.
“The long-held view that Canada’s geographic location will protect us is becoming increasingly archaic,” Carney said.
With threats facing the country multiplying, the prime minister said Canada “will achieve NATO’s two percent target this year — half a decade ahead of schedule.”
“We are too reliant on the United States,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly pressured NATO members to increase defense spending, arguing the United States was paying more than its fair share for collective security.
In April, the alliance announced that 22 of its 32 members hit the two percent spending target.
But Trump has pushed NATO members to spend even more and warned the United States could refuse to protect countries that don’t commit what he considers enough resources to defense.
Carney said Canada had become used to a post-war order with the United States as “the global hegemon,” and Canada’s “closest ally and dominant trading partner.”
“Now the United States is beginning to monetize its hegemony: charging for access to its markets and reducing its contributions to our collective security,” he said, condemning Trump’s trade war.
Carney said Canada would pursue new security relationships with “like-minded partners,” with a specific focus on Europe.
“We are actively seeking to strengthen transatlantic security,” he said, indicating a Canada-EU summit this month will be “will be more important than ever.”
– ‘Vulnerable’ Arctic-
Since taking office in mid-March, Carney has emphasized the changing security landscape in Canada’s Arctic, where receding ice caused by climate change is opening the region’s vast natural resources to fierce competition.
Carney has previously announced plans to substantially expand Canada’s military presence in the region, and on Monday he said the “Arctic is becoming more accessible and vulnerable to commercial and military activities.”
Russia and China are seen as two major rivals who could present increasing Artic security challenges in the years ahead.
Carney framed Monday’s military spending announcement as a move designed “to protect Canadians, not to satisfy NATO accountants.”
He noted the country’s military infrastructure was ageing, with only one of four submarines deemed seaworthy, and less than half of maritime fleet and land vehicles operational.
