>Carney said five per cent of Canada’s GDP would amount to about $150 billion per year. NATO said last year Canada spent $41 billion on defence.
>The prime minister said Canada will reach the target in part by developing deposits of critical minerals and that some of the work will be done in partnership with the European Union, EU member states, the U.K. and other countries.
>”Some of the spending for that counts towards that five per cent. In fact, a lot of it will count toward that five per cent because of infrastructure spending — it’s ports and railroads and other ways to get these minerals out,” Carney said.
>”So that’s something that benefits the Canadian economy but is also part of our NATO, our new NATO responsibilities.”
>Critical minerals refers to a series of metals and mineral deposits including lithium, cadmium and nickel, which are key elements for modern technology in everything from laptops and cellphones to high end defence systems.
>NATO released a list of 12 critical minerals last year that are a must for defence. They include aluminum, which NATO described as “pivotal” to producing lightweight planes and missiles, graphite, used in the production of tanks, and cobalt, essential in the production of jet engines, submarines and jet engines.
>[…]
>Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was at The Hague with Carney on Tuesday, where she told reporters that Canada is committed to increasing its defence spending but has questions about the “timeline” for hitting the new NATO spending target.
>When asked if her government accepts the new spending benchmark, Anand said Canada has consistently supported NATO’s spending targets.
>”The question, really, is the timeline,” she told reporters in The Hague.
>She added some allies have proposed a 2029 deadline for meeting the target.
>”We’d like to see steps along the way where there can be a re-examination of whether this is the right approach, augmenting at this rate in terms of domestic spend,” said Anand.
>[…]
>Ottawa said last year it would be able to hit two per cent by 2032, but Carney said earlier this month it will happen this year. In Brussels on Monday, he also announced that Canada had formally signed a new defence and security pact with the European Union that opens the door to defence procurement deals between Canada and European countries.
>Anand said that new partnership will expand Canada’s defence industrial base.
>The main talks in The Hague won’t happen until Wednesday and leaders spent much of Tuesday in bilateral meetings.
>Carney met with leaders from Latvia and the Netherlands. He also met with representatives of Nordic nations to discuss Arctic and transatlantic security.
>The prime minister also had an audience with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
>Lauren Speranza, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said the NATO summit is coming at a “very precarious moment,” marked by uncertainty about the U.S. commitment to Europe, the grinding conflict between Russia and Ukraine and ongoing tensions over transatlantic trade.
Including everything in defense spending to achieve the imaginary 5% target is hilarious and shows how much the perception of truth has changed since the orange took office. Atp, why did Spain request an exception? Just include tourism in defense spending and call it a day.
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>Carney said five per cent of Canada’s GDP would amount to about $150 billion per year. NATO said last year Canada spent $41 billion on defence.
>The prime minister said Canada will reach the target in part by developing deposits of critical minerals and that some of the work will be done in partnership with the European Union, EU member states, the U.K. and other countries.
>”Some of the spending for that counts towards that five per cent. In fact, a lot of it will count toward that five per cent because of infrastructure spending — it’s ports and railroads and other ways to get these minerals out,” Carney said.
>”So that’s something that benefits the Canadian economy but is also part of our NATO, our new NATO responsibilities.”
>Critical minerals refers to a series of metals and mineral deposits including lithium, cadmium and nickel, which are key elements for modern technology in everything from laptops and cellphones to high end defence systems.
>NATO released a list of 12 critical minerals last year that are a must for defence. They include aluminum, which NATO described as “pivotal” to producing lightweight planes and missiles, graphite, used in the production of tanks, and cobalt, essential in the production of jet engines, submarines and jet engines.
>[…]
>Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was at The Hague with Carney on Tuesday, where she told reporters that Canada is committed to increasing its defence spending but has questions about the “timeline” for hitting the new NATO spending target.
>When asked if her government accepts the new spending benchmark, Anand said Canada has consistently supported NATO’s spending targets.
>”The question, really, is the timeline,” she told reporters in The Hague.
>She added some allies have proposed a 2029 deadline for meeting the target.
>”We’d like to see steps along the way where there can be a re-examination of whether this is the right approach, augmenting at this rate in terms of domestic spend,” said Anand.
>[…]
>Ottawa said last year it would be able to hit two per cent by 2032, but Carney said earlier this month it will happen this year. In Brussels on Monday, he also announced that Canada had formally signed a new defence and security pact with the European Union that opens the door to defence procurement deals between Canada and European countries.
>Anand said that new partnership will expand Canada’s defence industrial base.
>The main talks in The Hague won’t happen until Wednesday and leaders spent much of Tuesday in bilateral meetings.
>Carney met with leaders from Latvia and the Netherlands. He also met with representatives of Nordic nations to discuss Arctic and transatlantic security.
>The prime minister also had an audience with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
>Lauren Speranza, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said the NATO summit is coming at a “very precarious moment,” marked by uncertainty about the U.S. commitment to Europe, the grinding conflict between Russia and Ukraine and ongoing tensions over transatlantic trade.
Further reading:
[NATO’s 5% benchmark would cost Canada $150B a year, Carney says | CBC News](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nato-leaders-summit-1.7568938)
!ping Can
Including everything in defense spending to achieve the imaginary 5% target is hilarious and shows how much the perception of truth has changed since the orange took office. Atp, why did Spain request an exception? Just include tourism in defense spending and call it a day.