Poilievre Not Committed to NATO 2% Guideline: ‘Our Country is Broke’

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre gives remarks during a press conference in Mississauga, Ont., on April 7, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov)

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has refrained from backing Canada’s new commitment to meet NATO’s defence spending guideline, blaming the state of the country’s finances for his reluctance.

“I always say what I mean and mean what I say. I make promises that I can keep,” Mr. Poilievre said at a July 12 press conference in Montreal. “Our country is broke after nine years of Trudeau.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said July 11 that Canada would reach the military alliance’s guideline for members to spend 2 percent of GDP on defence by 2032. He made the commitment during a press conference on the final day of the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Trudeau had faced criticism on the issue earlier in the week from top Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Congress, and the NATO leadership had emphasized that all countries need to meet the spending requirement.

Mentioning the elevated federal debt and high inflation of recent years, Mr. Poilievre, whose Conservative Party has been polling significantly higher than the governing Liberals ahead of the 2025 election, said he would inherit a “dumpster fire of a budget” if he becomes prime minister.

He said he would not make financial commitments without careful consideration.

“I’m going to make sure I’ve pulled out my calculator and done all the math, because people are sick and tired of politicians just announcing that they’re going to spend money without figuring out how they’re going to pay for it,” he said.

The Conservative leader said his plan to rebuild and fund the military would include cutting foreign aid to “dictators, terrorists, and multinational bureaucracies,” as well cutting down on bureaucracy and “procurement bungles.”

“I will replace the woke culture with a warrior culture so that we can get recruitment back up and running,” he added.

In March, Defence Minister Bill Blair called the personnel situation in the armed forces a “death spiral,” and changing the military’s culture has been advanced as a way to boost recruitment. Mr. Blair said the military is short almost 16,000 troops.

‘Crass Calculation’

Mr. Trudeau faced questions from reporters July 11 about the 2 percent pledge, such as how much the government plans to spend and why it is making the announcement now.

Ottawa released its updated defence policy in April with a plan to bring defence spending up to 1.76 percent of GDP by 2029.

“We laid out a defence policy update that wasn’t focused on answering media questions or focused on political advantage,” said the prime minister. “It was about doing what is right and what is needed in a responsible way.”

He said recent decisions, like the purchase of 12 new submarines announced during the summit, will help Canada reach the 2 percent spending target.

Mr. Trudeau also downplayed the significance of NATO’s spending guideline, saying Canada has been stepping up and punching above its weight.

“That isn’t always reflected in the crass mathematical calculation that certain people turn to very quickly, which is why we’ve always questioned the 2 percent as the be-all and end-all of evaluating contributions to NATO,” he said.

Mr. Trudeau pledged an additional $500 million in support for Ukraine during the NATO Summit, which marked the organization’s 75th anniversary.

NATO estimates Canada will spend 1.37 percent of GDP on defence in 2024, being one of eight countries in the alliance not meeting the guideline.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), using different calculations, said in a report published July 8 that Canada will actually spend 1.29 percent. The PBO also said Canada will reach 1.42 percent by 2029 instead of the 1.76 projected by the Department of National Defence.

“Recent experience as well as multiple PBO reports suggest a high likelihood of delays and lapsed appropriations,” the report said.