'2032 is not good enough': Kelly Craft says Canada has to spend faster on defence if Trump wins

A former U.S. ambassador says Canada needs to spend more on defence, and do so faster than the federal government's currently planning to, to meet the expectations of its NATO allies.

The former U.S. ambassador to Canada, who served under former U.S. president Donald Trump, says Canada needs to spend more on defence, and do so faster than the federal government’s currently plans to.

"Canada, you can do better. I know you can do better," Kelly Craft told CTV's Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in a panel interview alongside former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. David MacNaughton.

Following years of pressure from allies, the Canadian government committed in July to reaching the NATO alliance's target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence by 2032. The original deadline, agreed upon by members in 2014 as part of the Wales Summit, was to reach the two-per-cent goal by this year.

According to NATO figures, 23 of 32 member countries are on track to meet the pledge this year. And until last summer, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to hit the target by 2032, Canada was the only NATO country without a plan to do so.

Craft — who served as the American envoy to Canada from 2017 to 2019 under Trump — said defence spending, specifically as part of an alliance like NATO, is important for collective deterrence and averting adversarial countries, such as Russia and China.

For Canada, she said, that's especially relevant when it comes to the Arctic.