Blair Says Defence Spending Boost Necessary Given China’s ‘Deeply Concerning’ Military Buildup

Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers assembling during military training at Pamir Mountains in Kashgar, China's northwestern Xinjiang region, on Jan. 4, 2021. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Defence Minister Bill Blair cites China’s growing military as a key reason for increasing Canada’s defence spending.

“Our adversaries are rapidly building up their militaries. China is actually going through the largest military buildup of any nation in the world since the Second World War, and it is deeply concerning,” Blair said on Nov. 21.

“We have to keep up, not in order to engage in conflict, but to prevent conflict. I think the best way to deter a conflict is to be well prepared to respond to it.”

He made the comments at the opening of the 2024 Halifax International Security Forum (HISF), where global defence and security experts have gathered to discuss international conflicts and security issues.

Canada has faced both international and domestic pressure to meet NATO’s 2 percent GDP defence spending target as part of its commitment to the military alliance. NATO and the United States have continually urged Canada to meet the target, while the House of Commons national defence committee also called on Ottawa to honour the commitment.

NATO estimates Canada spent 1.31 percent of GDP on defence in 2023 and projects 1.37 percent in 2024. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed to meeting the 2 percent NATO target, he said that goal is not expected to be achieved until 2032. So far, no detailed plan has been released on how Canada intends to meet the target.

In an Oct. 30 report, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux said Canada would need to double its military spending to meet the NATO target. The spending would need to reach $81.9 billion by 2032–33, which is nearly double the projected $41 billion for 2024–25, he said.

Matthew Horwood and Noé Chartier contributed to this report.