Canada will significantly boost its defence spending to hit a Nato target of 2% of GDP years earlier than planned, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced.
In a speech at the University of Toronto, Carney said the action was required to ward off the “multiplying” threats from hostile governments, terrorist entities and cyber criminals.
He also conceded his country was “too reliant” on the United States for defence, adding that Washington was “reducing its relative contribution to our collective security”.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte is pushing for members to agree to a new spending target of 3.5% of GDP at a summit later this month.
In his address, Mark Carney said the world was at a “hinge moment” similar to the end of the Second World War. He said his country must act in the face of an aggressive Russia and China, and threats to Arctic security.
He also accused Washington of looking to “monetise its hegemony” by making access to its market more costly.
Canada spent 1.4% of its GDP on defence in 2024.
“This is not about getting to two per cent, full stop,” Carney stressed. “It’s about defending Canada. Our ability to defend Canada is not at a point in time, it’s going to require sustained investment and as I said in my remarks this morning, we’re getting to this level with this $9.3 billion, but we expect a further acceleration.”
