Canada takes heat at security forum for underspending on defence

Canada faced criticism at the Halifax security forum last weekend over its failure to meet NATO’s expectation on defence spending.

Several delegates to the Halifax International Security Forum chastised Canada for not spending two per cent of its gross domestic product on defence.

“If Trump were in this room you would get a large guffaw from him on 2032. It’s got to be better than that. It truly, truly has to be better than that,” said Idaho Republican congressman Jim Risch, referring to the newly-elected U.S. president. 

Former Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic told the conference that as she was boarding an airplane to fly to Halifax, she was told to remind Canadians that they “have to get to two per cent.”

Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair assured delegates that they were “pushing on an open door” regarding Canada’s defence spending. He said the government’s goal is to reach the two per cent target by 2032.

International delegations from democracies around the world gathered in Halifax for the 16th annual Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) at the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel.

Blair assured the media in a news conference that Canada was working on equipping Canada’s military with “planes and ships and submarines.”

“Nobody has to argue with me that we need to spend more money. I came here last year and said we need to spend more money,” said Blair.

“I think we are all seized with that urgency and we are finding ways to get this done,” said Blair. He told reporters and delegates that Canada knows it has to move faster and is working to spend the money it has effectively. 

“We need to work more closely, more effectively with industry to make sure that we can meet the moment,” Blair said.

Blair gave the example of buying Canadian-made drones to give to Ukraine, and offered a potential new plan to support Ukraine’s burgeoning defence industry by “purchasing some of their drones and donating them to Ukraine.”

“Our adversaries are rapidly building up their militaries,”  said Blair.

“China is actually going through the largest military buildup of any nation in the world since the Second World War.” 

“We haven’t had to invest significantly in defence of our own country but that situation is changing,” said Blair.

As of July this year Canada was one of the nine NATO countries that failed to meet spending requirements. Canada has the sixth-largest economy in NATO but spends the fifth-least amount on defence out of the 32 member states.

Canada has been working on acquiring P-8 Poseidon aircraft, light tactical vehicles to support Canada’s soldiers in Latvia and submarines to replace those in Canada’s aging fleet, as well as a large naval vessel program underway at Halifax’s shipyard.

Blair announced at the forum that Australia and Canada had entered a joint missile research and development agreement.