Canada promises to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2035 in pact with NATO leaders

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Politics·Breaking

NATO Leaders have approved a plan to dramatically increase defence spending across the western alliance to five per cent of the gross domestic product over the next decade, a decision that has given U.S. President Donald Trump a significant policy victory.

Now there’s pressure on Trump to commit to self-defence clause in exchange for funding boost

Murray Brewster · CBC News ·

Prime Minister Mark Carney shown sitting at a long table with other NATO leaders.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada and its NATO allies have agreed to spend five per cent of annual GDP on defence by 2035. Carney made the announcement in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he is attending the NATO summit. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

NATO leaders — including Canada — have approved a plan to dramatically increase defence spending across the Western alliance to five per cent of the gross domestic product over the next decade, a decision that has given U.S. President Donald Trump a significant policy victory.

They gathered behind closed doors in the Netherlands on Wednesday, where the final details and potential grievances were hashed out.

Members of the alliance, however, were expecting something in return — a fervent commitment from Trump on NATO’s self-defence clause, Article 5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Murray Brewster is senior defence writer for CBC News, based in Ottawa. He has covered the Canadian military and foreign policy from Parliament Hill for over a decade. Among other assignments, he spent a total of 15 months on the ground covering the Afghan war for The Canadian Press. Prior to that, he covered defence issues and politics for CP in Nova Scotia for 11 years and was bureau chief for Standard Broadcast News in Ottawa.

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