WHY CANADA NEEDS TO PAY ITS SHARE TO NATO
Canada has a fine military to be proud of, but Ottawa has been a laggard when it comes to support for its own defence and for NATO.
U.S. President Donald Trump just sent tough letters demanding Canada and the other NATO allies live up to the two per cent of GDP spending commitment they made at their Wales summit meeting in 2014. This will be the subject of intense discussion at next week’s NATO summit.
The president’s letter said the U.S. “is increasingly unwilling to ignore this Alliance’s failure to meet shared security challenges.” He added that while he appreciates Canada’s contributions to defence around the world, they “do not excuse any of us from our commitments to ensure NATO has the resources it needs.”
“This frustration is not confined to our executive branch,” the letter continued. “The United States Congress has taken note and is concerned as well.”
The Canadian Press has confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau allegedly replied that Canada is doing its bit, but he’s dead wrong.
He, like all his predecessors, have repeatedly ignored American requests to pony up more. In June 2016, the diplomatic former president Barack Obama also made it clear that Canada was not doing its part and said in his speech to Parliament: “The world needs more Canada and NATO needs more Canada.”
Adjustments should have been made years ago, but were not. Now, with an aggressive president in the White House, countries like Canada need to pay up.
Only two NON-NATO allies get it: Australia and Japan. What Trump is saying is fair: The cost of being the world’s policeman and its gigantic Us$800-billion annual trade deficit are both unsustainable and unjust.
By contrast, Australia (not a NATO member but reliant on U.S. military help) puts Canada to shame and will reach defence spending of two per cent of GDP by 2021. Already, Australia is spending twice as much as Canada — roughly $35 billion in 2018 — compared with Ottawa’s paltry $17 billion.
Frankly, this is embarrassing and explains why Trump is so upset.
Japan, also not a NATO member, realizes it is dependent upon U.S. military protection and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is abandoning its domestic military sector and going on a buying spree for American-made weaponry, systems, and technology. This will also dramatically reduce its trade surplus with the U.S.
Meanwhile Canada, without any bargaining position in terms of trade because of its failure to even try to meet NATO commitments for four years, pouts and whines about Trump and his team, thus threatening to damage Canadians and ruin the two countries’ relationship for years to come.
The link between trade and defence contributions is totally clear. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin last week said if NATO member countries are seeking exemptions from U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs they will be asked to step up their contributions to NATO.
Canada’s on the bottom third of the NATO spending list:
U.S. 3.6 per cent of GDP U.K. 2.1 per cent
Greece 2.25 per cent France 1.75 per cent Poland 2 per cent Estonia 2.25 per cent Canada 1.25 per cent Meanwhile, Germany, Italy and Spain are laggards that spend less than Canada.
Germany is under huge pressure to get its act together and is faced with the withdrawal of 35,000 American troops.
“The United States continues to devote more resources to the defence of Europe when the continent’s economy, including Germany’s, are doing well and security challenges abound. This is no longer sustainable for us,” wrote Trump to Chancellor Angela Merkel.
John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, said that underpaying NATO members, not the U.S., have undermined the organization in the face of the Russian threat.
Frankly, Trudeau had better smarten up and soon.