Trudeau told NATO Canada can't meet defence spending target, Washington Post reports
A trove of leaked Pentagon secrets included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau privately telling NATO that Canada would never meet the military alliance's targets for defence spending, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
One document in particular, unsigned and undated, includes that blunt assessment among other "widespread" military deficiencies in Canada that are causing friction with security partners and allies, the newspaper says.
The Post report, published online Wednesday, describes it as a Pentagon assessment and does not include any direct quotes from Trudeau himself, nor many from the document beyond single words.
A trove of leaked Pentagon secrets included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau privately telling NATO that Canada would never meet the military alliance's targets for defence spending, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
One document in particular, unsigned and undated, includes that blunt assessment among other "widespread" military deficiencies in Canada that are causing friction with security partners and allies, the newspaper says.
The Post report, published online Wednesday, describes it as a Pentagon assessment and does not include any direct quotes from Trudeau himself, nor many from the document beyond single words.
NATO, for instance, is "concerned" that Canada hasn't added to its battle group in Latvia. Turkey was "disappointed" by Canada's "refusal" to help transport aid after an earthquake earlier this year. Haiti is "frustrated" by Canada's reluctance to mount a security mission.
"Widespread defence shortfalls hinder Canadian capabilities," the Post quotes the document as saying, "while straining partner relationships and alliance contributions."
It all points toward a U.S. perception of the Canadian Armed Forces as underfunded and ill-equipped, making it hard for Canada to maintain ties among allies and impairing its international reputation.
Defence Minister Anita Anand rejected any suggestion that allies are expressing concerns about Canada's contributions, as she prepared to meet with around 50 counterparts this week at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Germany.
She said spending was a topic of discussion Wednesday when she met with David Cohen, the U.S. ambassador to Canada.
"We spoke about our defence spending, generally speaking, and we discussed the upward trajectory of our defence spending and in fact how Canada continues to make foundational investments for the Canadian Armed Forces," she said in an interview.
Anand pointed out that the Liberal government has committed to nearly $40 billion on Norad modernization and North American defence, along with $8 billion in military spending announced in the 2022 budget.
As for Latvia, Canada has launched an urgent, competitive procurement process to equip troops there with anti-tank, anti-drone and anti-air defence systems, Anand said.
Planning with the other 10 countries involved in the Canadian-led battle group is still ongoing.
Criticism of defence spending has been a political mainstay in Ottawa, as it is elsewhere around the world. NATO wants its members to spend at least two per cent of their GDP on defence -- a target Canada consistently fails to reach.
"Canada has always been one that has depended too heavily upon other nations to provide that collective security. And we definitely have benefited from it," Conservative defence critic James Bezan said Wednesday.
"It's time for us to step up and make sure that we pull our weight, especially in these dangerous times that we find ourselves in."
Asked about the Post story Wednesday, Trudeau did not acknowledge the report directly or explain precisely what he said to alliance officials.
"I continue to say, and will always say, that Canada is a reliable partner to NATO, a reliable partner around the world," he said.
The Post report says the Forces warned back in February that a major military operation would be impossible, given its ongoing support for Ukraine and its support role leading a NATO battle group in Russia-adjacent Latvia.
The story doesn't linger on what that operation might be, but the U.S. has been keen to see someone lead a multinational support mission in gang-ravaged Haiti, and officials have even name-checked Canada as a worthy option.
No such commitment materialized last month after President Joe Biden's Ottawa visit. But that meeting with Trudeau did address other military shortcomings identified in the document, most notably with a promised $14-billion investment in the continental defence system known as Norad.
Canada has faced criticism domestically and around the world for a perceived reluctance to meet NATO's spending expectations.
"It's embarrassing," Bezan said.
"Here he is telling Americans behind the scenes that there's no chance that we'll do it. That is undermining our bilateral relationship, and not just on the security front."
NATO established the two per cent threshold in 2006 to ensure ongoing military readiness and provide "an indicator of a country's political will to contribute to NATO's common defence efforts," the alliance says on its website.
Canada was among the allies who signed on in 2014 to aspire towards that target.
The U.S. has shouldered an outsized share of the burden; total spending of all other allies is only about half of American expenditures on defence -- "a constant, with variations, throughout the history of the alliance."
But Anand said she believes Canadians care about results, and the target is "only one way of measuring our contributions."
"There aren't many other countries that can say that they have trained 36,000 Ukrainian soldiers," she said, while also responding to natural disasters at home and increasing their presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, Canada has provided more than $1.3 billion in military aid, including armoured vehicles, cannons, ammunition and eight Leopard II tanks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2023.
-- With files from Stephanie Taylor and Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
BREAKING Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
BREAKING Canadian border workers vote in favour of possible strike: union
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
BREAKING World Court orders Israel to halt assault on Gaza's Rafah
Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling on South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
The dog who inspired Dogecoin has died
Kabosu, the dog that launched a thousand 'doge' memes, has died, her owner announced Friday.
BREAKING Ontario to start expansion of alcohol sales in convenience and grocery stores this summer
Alcohol sales in Ontario will be enhanced in grocery stores and expanded to convenience stores this summer, a year-and-a-half sooner than expected, following a deal that will see the Ontario government provide The Beer Store up to $225 million for the early rollout.
Ontario patients visiting emergency rooms out of fear of being booted by family doctor
Ontario patients are now visiting emergency departments out of fear of being de-rostered from their doctor’s office – a loophole that results in hospitals dealing with non-urgent cases, and disrupts continuity of care paramount to family medicine, according to health-care experts.
Local Spotlight
'Near and dear to all filmmakers': Return of Regina's discount theatre bodes well for fans, movie makers alike
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
'Best experience ever': B.C. baker on making it to the finals of Netflix's 'Is it Cake?'
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
Winnipeg flair on the menu at neighbourhood Houston restaurant
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Beyond books: Halifax libraries lends instruments, sports equipment, memory kits and more
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
'A special bird': The unbreakable bond between purple martins and humans
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
7-year-old Pokémon prodigy heading to Hawaii for world championship tournament
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
From DVDs to rehearsals: Halifax theatre company transforms Video Difference building into arts hub
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.