U.S. envoy closely eyes Canada defence spending; says NATO about collective defence

U.S. envoy says defence spending is Canada's choice but remains a "relationship irritant" as NATO eyes higher targets and Carney, Trump pursue new defence talks.

The American ambassador to Canada is closely watching as Ottawa shapes its defence budget, but says the U.S. will not dictate what the Canadian government must spend.

“We’re not expecting anything; that’s not our job to make those expectations,” Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said in an interview with The Canadian Press this past Friday, a day after NATO defence ministers endorsed new spending targets.

Hoekstra also said the point of the NATO military alliance is to defend each other when under attack.

He noted Americans haven’t forgotten the “investment and the sacrifice” Canadian troops made in Afghanistan when the U.S. invoked the NATO treaty’s article on collective defence.

“They were fulfilling the commitment that they made to NATO — that when one of us is attacked we are all attacked, and we will defend each other,” Hoekstra said of Canadian soldiers.

Hoekstra was not directly commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement in March that Washington would not necessarily come to the aid of countries that don’t pay their fair share on defence and that Canada has been freeloading on American defence of the continent.

He did acknowledge Canada’s defence spending has been an “irritant” in the relationship with the U.S.

This past week, defence ministers from NATO countries met in Brussels to discuss raising the member spending target on defence to as much as five per cent of GDP.