Money isn’t everything
Ways to gauge commitment beyond spending: PM
Canada’s indifference to the everpresent push for more NATO spending was laid bare Friday in Germany as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all but shrugged off Donald Trump’s push to squeeze alliance members for more money.
Standing alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country has already promised significant increases to its own NATO contributions, Trudeau suggested that when it comes to demonstrating Canada’s commitment, money isn’t everything.
He acknowledged the spending target agreed to in 2014 by the members of the 28- country transatlantic alliance – two per cent of GDP annually – but described Canada and Germany as principal NATO actors who do much of the “heavy lifting.”
“There are many ways of evaluating one’s contribution to NATO,” Trudeau said.
Germany and Canada have “always been amongst the strongest actors in NATO,” he said, citing Canada’s leadership of a multinational NATO mission in Latvia aimed at strengthening its eastern flank against Russia.
He also said Canada is in the midst of “significant procurement projects” – fighter jets and shipbuilding, specifically – and working with NATO to ensure the alliance is being as effective as possible.
But Canada’s position differs from the German message. Merkel said Germany answered the 2014 call by increasing its defence budget eight per cent over last year.
That will build on Germany’s current 1.2 per cent of GDP, but there is no firm commitment that Canada’s defence budget – which stands at 0.99 per cent of GDP – will receive a cash infusion any time soon.
Canadian government insiders feel they are winning the day in terms of persuading NATO allies that the Canadian contribution is more than the sum of its parts. They point to comments made by U. S. Defence Secretary James Mattis after his meeting with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, as well as language in the joint declaration from Trudeau and Trump after their meetings earlier this week.
“The United States values Canada’s military contributions, including in the global coalition Against Daesh, and in Latvia,” the statement reads, using one of the several names by which the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is known.
Notably, the statement makes no mention of any insufficiency in Canadian funds for NATO.
A Canadian government official who briefed journalists on the condition of anonymity prior to Trudeau’s departure for Europe this week said Canada is “quite comfortable” with its current contribution to NATO.