Halifax Security Forum begins amid questions on Canada’s military spending

By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press on November 22, 2024.

Uncertainty is a key theme this year at an annual, three-day gathering in Halifax of political leaders, defence officials and policy analysts who aim to promote democratic values around the globe. People arrive for the 2023 Halifax International Security Forum in Halifax on Nov. 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark

HALIFAX – The Halifax International Security Forum started today with Canada’s defence minister defending Canada’s military spending as Donald Trump’s election in the United States increases pressure on NATO members to do more.

About 300 policy analysts, politicians and defence officials from 60 countries are participating in the 16th annual gathering in the Nova Scotia capital.

Former U.S. ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft said in the waning days of the U.S. election campaign that Canada would be wise to speed up its timeline for meeting its NATO spending commitments in the event of a Trump presidential victory.

Also, retired Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie – a former member of the Liberal caucus – told the House of Commons defence committee Thursday he detects “no sense of urgency” from the government to meet those commitments.

Defence Minister Bill Blair told reporters his government is well aware it needs to increase defence spending, both to help Ukraine and to protect its own territory, but he has to ensure Canada gets “good value” for its investments.

Blair says some of the American and domestic criticisms are unfair, as the government committed during a July NATO summit to “a credible and realistic plan” of spending two per cent of GDP on its military by 2032, as it buys a fleet of up to 12 new submarines.

He said there are examples where Canada can “accelerate” its spending by making purchases that mesh with its allies, citing Ottawa’s announcement it would replace CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft with the Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

The defence minister also announced that a surface-to-air defence system Canada bought two years ago has arrived in Ukraine to help protect the country against Russian missiles, though he would have liked the procurement to move faster.

NATO’s 32 member nations agreed to each spend the equivalent of at least two per cent of their GDP on defence, but Canada is among the nine members that aren’t going to do that this year.

The alliance’s figures project that Canada will spend the equivalent 1.37 per cent of its GDP on defence, placing it at the back of the pack. The Defence Department projects the figure to tick upward over the coming years, rising to 1.76 per cent by 2030.

Trump has a long history of criticizing NATO, and former administration officials have told The Associated Press he repeatedly threatened to pull out of the alliance that has been central to U.S. policy for decades.

But allies and supporters argue that, despite his denunciations, Trump did not ultimately abandon NATO while president and have said his rhetoric is simply a tough negotiating tactic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024.

– With files from The Associated Press.