People attend the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries annual defence industry trade show CANSEC in Ottawa on Thursday, May 30, 2024.Photo by Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Federal government would have to double military spending to meet NATO target: PBO

If federal government wants to meet NATO's military spending target by 2032, it will have to increase spending to $81.9 billion

by · National Post

The parliamentary budget officer says if the federal government wants to meet NATO’s military spending target by 2032 as promised, it will have to almost double defence spending to $81.9 billion.

The budget watchdog made that conclusion in a report published today on the fiscal implications of meeting the NATO target, which stipulates that member states spend two per cent of their GDP on defence.

Frank Baylis: Increasing defence spending is a strategic imperativeLeading up to the recent NATO summit, our allies made it clear that they wanted Canada to stand up and honour the commitment that our country had made to the alliance.Frank Baylis, Special to National Post, 13 Jul 2024Ottawa overestimating defence spending, will only spend 1.42% of GDP on military by 2030: PBOOTTAWA — On the eve of a major NATO summit, the federal budget watchdog says the government is overestimating defence spending and that Canada will be even further than expected from its 2 per cent military investment commitment by the end of the decade.Christopher Nardi, 08 Jul 2024