Defence Minister Blair Says Canada Could Meet 2 Percent NATO Target in 2 Years

Minister of National Defence Bill Blair participates in a question and answer period at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute conference on NORAD Modernization, in Ottawa, on May 1, 2024. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Canada could meet NATO’s 2 percent defence spending target sooner than planned, Defence Minister Bill Blair said on Jan. 24.

When asked whether Canada could accelerate efforts and meet the target in two years, Blair told reporters in Ottawa on Jan. 24 that it was “absolutely achievable,” though he did not commit to a firm deadline.

The two-year timeline had also been mentioned by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan in a Jan. 22 interview with CTV News.

“It’s absolutely possible, and this is what we have been working on since I’ve come on board,” she said.

“The longer we wait, the less we’ll get for the same amount of money,” Carignan said. “This is a very simple fact—inflation. So, the faster we can tap into these investments and reach the 2 percent target, the faster we can work on the transformation and modernization that we need.”

Carignan did not specify when Canada would meet the 2 percent target, citing uncertainties around costs and unfinished plans, including capabilities that depend on developing technology and “need to be planned in the longer term.”

NATO members agreed in 2014 to work toward a 2 percent defence spending target and reaffirmed that commitment in 2023. Canada has consistently failed to meet this target.

At last summer’s NATO summit in Washington, D.C., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to a 2032 timeline after facing criticism for being the only member without a plan to meet the target. In November 2024, Trudeau reiterated to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that Canada is on a “clear path” to hitting the 2 percent GDP spending target by 2032.

In April 2024, Canada released its updated defence policy, committing $8.1 billion over five years and $73 billion over 20 years to enhance military capabilities, with the aim of raising defence spending to 1.76 percent of GDP by 2029-30. Some major investments include $1.4 billion for maritime sensors to monitor the Arctic and $18.4 billion for new tactical helicopters.

As of 2024, Canada is one of eight NATO members—out of 32 in the alliance—that have yet to meet the 2 percent target, according to NATO data. The data indicates that Canada is one of only two countries, alongside Belgium, to not meet another key NATO guideline: spending at least 20 percent of military expenditure on new equipment.

Military spending among NATO members, as a percentage of each country's respective gross domestic product, between 2014 and 2024. Illustration by The Epoch Times

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has said the spending target should be raised even higher, calling for NATO allies to increase defence spending to 5 percent of their GDP—a target that no NATO member currently meets. He reiterated this call while addressing the World Economic Forum on Jan. 23 at the Davos summit in Switzerland.

Lithuania was the first country to embrace Trump’s target, with officials announcing on Jan. 17 that they plan to increase the country’s defence spending to between 5 percent and 6 percent, starting in 2026.

Trump’s call also found support from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who urged European countries to view it as a welcome move, while speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels on Jan. 22. Poland currently leads NATO members in defence spending, reaching 4.12 percent of its GDP in 2024.

Asked about Trump’s proposed 5 percent defence target, Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Jan. 24 that Canada’s spending under the Liberal government has nearly tripled since 2015.

Jennifer Cowan, Matthew Horwood, an The Canadian Press contributed to this report.