Latvian defence minister says he's been assured Canada will meet NATO spending targets
CTV
Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds says he’s been assured by his Canadian counterpart that Canada plans to meet the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP on defence.
Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds says he’s been assured by his Canadian counterpart that Canada plans to meet the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP on defence.
In an interview airing Sunday, Sprūds told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos that he “absolutely” has faith that Canada plans to reach the spending goal, following assurances from Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair.
Canada has long faced pressure to meet the alliance’s decade-old pledge to spend two per cent of GDP on defence, while some NATO officials have recently pushed even further, saying Canada is the only member of the group without a target date to do so.
Canada, along with the other NATO alliance members, signed onto the spending agreement in 2014, doubling down last summer when the two-per-cent target became a minimum requirement.
The federal government has continued to insist it plans to reach the goal, but has never laid out a timeline.
In a pair of interviews that aired on CTV’s Question Period last month, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith told Kapelos they expect Canada to set a date.
Smith also said the absence of a target date is a sign Canada “lacks the commitment” allies want to see.
