June 9, 2025
Parteek Singh Mahal
Ahead of G7 summit next week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Monday that Canada will finally meet NATO’s long-standing defence spending target this year, citing a changing global security environment and growing international threats.
Speaking at an event in Toronto, Carney confirmed that Canada will allocate 2% of its national GDP to defence in 2025 — which is five years ahead of the previously promised timeline.
“Canada will achieve NATO’s 2% target this year, half a decade ahead of schedule,” Carney said, adding that his government plans to accelerate this spending commitment even further in the coming years.
Carney emphasized that Canada has for too long relied on the United States for defence, a dependence he described as increasingly risky. He pointed to the U.S.’s evolving geopolitical posture under President Donald Trump, saying Washington is “beginning to monetize its hegemony” by charging for access to its markets and scaling back its relative contributions to global security.
The fresh data shows that Canada currently spends approximately 1.45% of GDP on defence and has not met the NATO threshold since 2014, when the country had first agreed upon it, despite repeated assurances to allies.
With mounting international pressure, particularly from European partners, Canada is now committing to a significant military investment not seen since the Cold War.
The timing of Monday’s announcement comes just ahead of a major NATO summit scheduled later this month in the Netherlands. Member nations are expected to consider raising the alliance’s spending target to 5% of GDP.
Carney had previously pledged during the recent election campaign to meet the 2% NATO benchmark by 2030. Monday’s announcement marks a major revision to that plan, fast-tracking the commitment by at least five years.
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