Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently defended his country’s commitments to NATO, especially after facing criticism from President Donald Trump regarding alliance spending. Carney asserted that Canada is meeting its obligations, even though the country isn’t expected to hit the 2% defense spending target until 2025.
During a lecture in Monteregie, Quebec, Carney described Iran as a “grave threat” to the Middle East and beyond. He acknowledged that Canada has struggled to meet NATO’s defense spending levels, stating that it hasn’t reached that threshold since the Cold War, which highlights just how sensitive the situation is regarding Trump’s remarks.
“I want to underline that just a few weeks ago, we committed to reducing defense spending to 2%, a first for NATO since the fall of the Berlin Wall,” Carney added.
Meanwhile, Trump criticized several NATO allies, perceiving them as not supportive during conflicts related to Iran. He warned on Truth Social that the alliance “wasn’t there when we needed it and won’t be there when we need it again.” In response to inquiries about his threats towards NATO—which includes peacekeeping nations like Germany and Spain—Carney expressed that Canada would be “open to negotiations.” It’s what NATO expects.
A report from NATO on defense expenditures from 2014 to 2025 forecasts that Canada’s defense spending will stand at 1.01% of GDP in 2014, potentially reaching 1.5% by 2024, and finally hitting 2.01% in 2025.
In contrast, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Trump for motivating allies to meet the 2% guideline, noting that some Eastern Bloc countries have considerably boosted their contributions.
Looking at the figures, U.S. defense spending has averaged around 3.3% of GDP in recent years, while Canada’s has hovered closer to 1.3%. This disparity is notable, considering the U.S. GDP eclipses that of all other NATO member states.
Greece and the UK consistently rank as the top contributors to NATO funding, whereas countries like Canada, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Hungary fall toward the bottom on average. An exception here is Luxembourg, which contributes an average of just 0.6% of its GDP according to the report.
In a lighter moment, Rutte had previously stirred attention when he seemed to refer to Trump as “daddy,” but later clarified that he intended to describe Trump as a strong leader during a time of tension with both Israel and Iran.
Rutte, when asked if he still sees Trump in that light, offered some candidness about their complicated relationship amidst ongoing challenges involving multiple states.
