National

Trudeau says Canada expects to hit NATO defence spending target in 2032

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Jul, 2024 10:03 AM

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada expects to hit the NATO defence spending target in 2032.

The 32 members of the alliance agreed last year to spend at least the equivalent of two per cent of national gross domestic product on defence.

News I shared with @ZelenskyyUA in our talks at @NATO: Canada plans to reinforce Ukraine’s defence with $500 million more in military support — and train more Ukrainian fighter pilots to defend their skies against Russia. pic.twitter.com/Efl4X1rCyE
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 11, 2024

Canada is lagging behind, with current spending at around 1.37 per cent, which is set to rise to 1.76 per cent by the end of the decade.

Trudeau has been under pressure from allies at this year's NATO leaders' summit to produce a plan showing how Canada will get to two per cent.

The issue has taken on particular importance with Donald Trump running for re-election in the U.S., because he has been vocal about so-called freeloading allies who aren't spending enough.

In a press conference this afternoon in Washington, D.C., Trudeau said Canada expects to reach the spending target in eight years, but he offered no specific details about how that will happen.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Shipping container stolen from Abbotsford

Police in Abbotsford say an elaborate operation would have been needed to steal a large shipping container from a rural property this week. The department says the 12-metre long container disappeared during daylight hours on Monday.

Shipping container stolen from Abbotsford

Joly urges halt to escalating violence as Israel suspected of airstrike on Iran

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is once again urging Israel and Iran to prevent their long-running conflict from spiralling into a broader Middle East crisis. She is calling for de-escalation and has co-signed a lengthy statement that touches on the Israel-Hamas war, the humanitarian plight in Gaza and attacks on ships off the coast of Yemen.

Joly urges halt to escalating violence as Israel suspected of airstrike on Iran

'No immediate risk' from 2.5-million-litre effluent spill from B.C. fibreboard plant

British Columbia's Environment Ministry says a 2.5-million-litre effluent spill from a fibreboard factory in Quesnel doesn't pose any immediate risk to public safety. It says in a statement that Monday's spill from the WestPine Medium-Density Fibreboard plant into a gravel pit has been assessed and no waterways have been affected.

'No immediate risk' from 2.5-million-litre effluent spill from B.C. fibreboard plant

Changes for short-term rentals as of May 1st

The BC government says analysis of short-term rental data from March showed that more than 19-thousand entire homes in the province are listed for rent for most of the year. That figure will change starting May 1st, when the new short-term rental rules kick in for more than 60 communities in B-C.

Changes for short-term rentals as of May 1st

Labour leader urges unions to expose Poilievre's working-class overtures as 'fraud'

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is a "fraud" for portraying himself as a friend of the working class, the head of the country's largest labour organization said Thursday, urging unions to do everything they can to expose him before the next federal election. Canadian Labour Congress President Bea Bruske delivered her call to arms as union leaders gathered in Ottawa to plot strategy ahead of the vote, which must happen before October 2025.

Labour leader urges unions to expose Poilievre's working-class overtures as 'fraud'

Liberals buck global trend by 'doubling down' on foreign aid, as sector urges G7 push

Foreign aid groups are hailing the federal Liberal government's return to a policy of increasing humanitarian and development spending each year, while asking for a plan to push allies to reverse a global decline in aid.