Canada to Become Only NATO Member Missing Defence Spending Target in 2024, US Ambassador Says

Washington’s ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, after giving the keynote address at a Canadian Club luncheon in Ottawa on Oct. 31, 2023. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen says Canada may soon become the only NATO member failing to meet the minimum defence spending requirement of 2 percent.

“At the end of 2024, the way projections are looking, Canada will be the only country in NATO that is not spending at least 2 percent of its GDP on defence and does not have a plan to get there,” Mr. Cohen said in a May 26 interview with Global News. “Canada has moved within NATO from being a bit of an outlier to being the outlier in the entire alliance.”