Carney pledges to beat Trudeau’s target date for NATO spending benchmark

OTTAWA — Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney says he would reach Canada’s NATO defence spending target by the end of the decade — two years ahead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s schedule.

Carney made the commitment this morning at a campaign event in Windsor, Ont., where he also promised a tax cut for the middle class.

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Ottawa formally committed in 2023 to spending the equivalent of two per cent of its GDP on national defence but has failed to come close to that target and doesn’t plan to meet it until 2032.

Most NATO allies have met the spending target already and U.S. lawmakers are pressing Ottawa to step up.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also said he now wants NATO members to meet a military spending benchmark of five per cent.

Defence Minister Bill Blair, who is endorsing Carney’s leadership bid, said recently Canada could achieve the two per cent target in just two years if necessary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press