Canada has unveiled a new defense strategy that focuses on strengthening its military capabilities in the Arctic region, but its spending by the end of the decade will still fall short of the 2% target set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Reuters reports UNN.
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The strategy adds an additional 8.1 billion Canadian dollars ($6 billion) over the next five years, allowing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to spend 1.76% of gross domestic product on defense by 2030. The government describes the plan as an "important step".
As part of its updated defense strategy, the Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has emphasized the need to strengthen defense in light of Arctic defense and security issues related to Russia and China.
We are mobilizing again to preserve and defend the rule-based order that has helped people around the world prosper for much of the last century
By 2030, Canada's military spending will amount to 1.76% of its GDP, which is still below NATO's 2% target for member states, but higher than the current level of 1.4%.
Officials told the press that there is no specific date for reaching the 2% target.
However, it remains to be seen how much of the planned spending will be realized, given that polls show the Liberals lagging far behind the Conservative Party, which is the official opposition before the election.
The United States, which has long urged Canada to increase defense spending, welcomed this update.
It seems that this policy includes a significant contribution to the fulfillment of Canada's commitments to NATO. We are also confident that additional investments will be made