US Senator Jim Risch Critiques Canada's Military Spending at Halifax Security Forum

A US senator, who supports Donald Trump, remarked that the president-elect would find Canada's military spending plans amusing. Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch, a key figure in the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, shared these thoughts at the Halifax International Security Forum. This event gathers defence and security officials from Western democracies.

Canada's military budget was estimated at 1.33% of GDP in 2023, according to NATO figures. This is below the 2% target set by NATO countries. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed to meeting this target by 2032. "With all due respect. We're good friends with Canada and they say 'Well, we're working on this.' We say 'What does that mean?' And they say 'Well, we're kind of looking at 2032,'" Risch commented during a panel discussion.

NATO Spending Commitments

Risch further noted, "If Trump were in this room you would get a large guffaw from him on 2032. It's got to be better than that. It truly, truly has to be better than that." Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair acknowledged the need for increased defence spending but emphasised ensuring value for investments. "When our allies say they want us to meet the commitment, I've told them the answer is Yes, and I've told them you're pushing on an open door," Blair stated.

Canada plans to purchase surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and replenish ammunition supplies. Future plans include acquiring submarines. Trudeau recently re-established a special Cabinet committee on Canada-US relations to address concerns about another Trump presidency.

Pressure on Canada

Former US ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft advised accelerating Canada's timeline for meeting NATO spending commitments if Trump wins again. Retired Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, a former lawmaker in Trudeau's government, expressed concern about the lack of urgency in meeting these commitments during a Parliament defence committee meeting.

Following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, NATO allies agreed to halt budget cuts and aim for spending 2% of GDP on defence within ten years. At that time, Canada was spending just over 1%. Last year, as Russia's conflict with Ukraine persisted, NATO decided that 2% should be a minimum spending level.

NATO's Expectations

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expects around two-thirds of the alliance's 32 member countries to spend 2% of GDP on their defence budgets this year. This is a significant increase from just three countries a decade ago.

Canada faces pressure from allies to boost its military expenditure promptly. The country's current spending falls short of NATO's expectations, prompting discussions on how to meet these targets sooner rather than later.