As PBO says NATO target plan is off, here’s why it matters to the military

Spending two per cent of GDP on defence would allow the Canadian Forces to maintain bases and equipment and make necessary investments for the future, an ex-military chief says.

Canada’s defence spending shortfalls are having a real impact on the Canadian Armed Forces, a former military leader says, and revelations about “significant” errors in the government’s plan to increase that spending means those issues may continue longer than promised.

Retired general Tom Lawson, who served as chief of the defence staff from 2012 to 2015, says pressure may have to come not just from Canada’s international allies but also from Canadians themselves in order to effect real change to how the government invests in its military and defence.

Failing to do so can affect overall combat readiness in the future, he adds — which could impact the U.S.-Canada relationship in particular.

“When you look at the military that I was in charge of 10 years ago and the military that exists today, the things that are very similar is that … we don’t maintain our bases and we don’t maintain our equipment,” Lawson told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block.

“When you (address) all those things … the people in uniform are happy, running effectively and efficiently on the bases, and providing good, capable arms and options for Canadian decision-makers in the future.”

With Canada being called upon more to provide support in continental and global defence, Lawson said allowing combat readiness to deteriorate presents a “real risk,” both politically and from a security standpoint.

A report from Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux last week said if Ottawa wants to meet NATO’s military spending target of two per cent of GDP by 2032 as promised, it will have to almost double defence spending to $81.9 billion.

The report also found the current forecast that says Canada will spend 1.76 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030 was based on “erroneous” economic growth projections that assume the country would be in a four-year recession. According to the watchdog’s own analysis, the projected defence spending reaches only 1.58 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade.