Canada needs to spend billions more to meet NATO defence requirements

A report by the Commons national defence committee reveals that Canada must significantly increase its defence spending to meet its minimum NATO commitments, a target that Defence Minister Bill Blair acknowledges is a challenge for the country.Blacklock's Reporter says the report, "Time For Change: Reforming Defence Procurement In Canada," highlights the challenges facing Canada's defence procurement processes, including bureaucratic hurdles, complexity, risk aversion, personnel shortages, politicization, lack of transparency and accountability, and delays and cost overruns.To honour its commitment to NATO, the committee recommends that Canada meet the alliance's 2% defence spending target, which would require a significant increase from last year's 1.7% of GDP (totaling $32.5 billion). According to the Budget Office, defence spending would need to surpass $60 billion annually by 2025 to meet this target, a gap of tens of billions of dollars.Blair acknowledges the challenge, stating that "spending that money well so we can reassure Canadians that we're getting good public value for every dollar they invest in defence is also my responsibility." While he did not specify when Canada would reach the 2% target, he emphasized the importance of meeting this commitment.Budget Officer Yves Giroux notes that even with the inclusion of Coast Guard icebreakers and veterans' pensions as defence spending, Canada still falls short of the NATO target. On a per capita basis, Canada would need to spend approximately $500 per person to meet the 2% target, a significant increase from current levels.

Canada needs to spend billions more to meet NATO defence requirements

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