Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says NATO’s focus must be on the North

By Canadian Press on March 4, 2026.

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says NATO needs to focus on the North as the global security environment changes and new threats emerge.

Anand spoke at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute’s annual gathering in Ottawa today.

She said the government’s “singular task” is to defend Canada’s sovereignty and strengthen its alliances.

The conference agenda includes discussions about the Canadian Armed Forces’ efforts in recruitment and retention.

This year’s event is focused on how NATO allies will fulfil their pledge to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035.

Former defence minister Bill Blair told the same conference two years ago that the military was in a recruitment “death spiral” and that the federal government was unable to spend more on defence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2026.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press