Canada’s miserly defence spending is increasingly embarrassing
Even after the invasion of Ukraine, the country doles out just 1.22% of GDP
Despite its renowned special forces and stalwart service in Afghanistan, Canada has long been seen by its allies as something of a laggard when it comes to its defence spending. Many Canadians still recall an excruciating exchange between Donald Trump, then president of the United States, and Canada’s Liberal prime minister, Justin Trudeau, at a NATO summit in 2019 when Mr Trump asked jeeringly: “Where are you at? What is your number?” Mr Trudeau had more friends at that summit than Mr Trump. But since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Canada’s position as a penny-pinching outlier has become more embarrassing for the country.
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This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “A NATO laggard”
From the July 29th 2023 edition
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