Canada urged to spend more on defence as NATO chief addresses summit

'Two per cent is now the floor for our defence spending,' said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. 'It's not good enough what we do now.'

Canada is facing mounting pressure to cough up more cash on defence, with the NATO chief saying the current benchmark is the minimum allies should be spending.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg insists the status quo is “not good enough,” warning leaders who have gathered in Washington, D.C., for the alliance’s annual summit — including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — that more needs to be done.

“There is no way to provide strong defence without the strong defence industry,” said Stoltenberg on Tuesday. “That’s why this conference is so important.”

Stoletenberg did not single out Canada during his speech, but U.S. lawmakers have expressed their frustrations with Trudeau directly.

NATO is marking its 75th anniversary, but analysts say Canada risks being relegated to the background of talks as it continues to fall short of spending targets.

Trudeau met with a bipartisan group of American senators Tuesday, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

After the meeting, McConnell posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Canada needs to boost spending. “Shared values and close economic ties have always been the strength of the U.S.-Canada relationship. But it’s time for our northern ally to invest seriously in the hard power required to help preserve prosperity and security,” said McConnell.

Schumer was less critical publicly, writing on X “I look forward to continuing to work together to further the U.S-Canada relationship, to strengthen NATO.”