U.S. URGES MPS TO SPEND MORE ON DEFENCE,

WASHINGTON — Canadian MPs visiting Washington this week said they kept hearing a familiar message in the U.S. capital: that Canada and other NATO partners will be expected to pony up more money for the military.

It’s something members of the parliamentary committee on national defence said they would take home after three days of meetings at the Pentagon, the U.S. Capitol and think-tanks that concluded Wednesday.

They tempered that by saying their U.S. interlocutors recognized Canada’s nonfinancial contributions — such as volunteering for roles in combat zones including Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq, in addition to efforts in Eastern Europe.

Stephen Fuhr, the federal Liberal chair of the defence committee, said there’s clearly a desire to see Canada spend more, but no one is demanding that Canada rush to the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP.

“Is there an expectation? I’ll be 100 per cent frank. Yes. There’s an expectation Canada will contribute more,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that. But there’s also a recognition of what Canada does bring to the table — which I think is also very important.”

Successive American administrations have pushed Canada to increase its spending — which is less than half of its agreed-upon NATO target. One difference now is President Donald Trump has suggested he might take a harder line than his predecessors.

Despite that pressure, there are indications the federal budget this month will not include any significant new injections of money for the military. Rather, many are now turning their attention to the fall, by which point the Liberals will have completed their defence policy review.