Would a Trump victory cause Canada to spend more on defence and abandon Ukraine?
CTV
While Republicans and Democrats alike have long complained about Canada's sluggish military spending, experts say Canada is more likely to suffer consequences under a second Trump presidency, which could also end U.S. support for Ukraine.
As we move closer to the U.S. election, CTVNews.ca will be examining the relationship between Canada and the U.S. in a series of features.
Canada has long faced criticism from the U.S. and other allies for failing to meet NATO's defence spending target, which directs members of the security alliance to contribute at least two per cent of their GDP to defence.
After a torrent of criticism from its NATO allies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did say this week that Canada would reach that benchmark – but it won't happen until 2032 and he offered few details as to the timeline.
And while Republicans and Democrats alike have long complained about Canada's sluggish military spending, experts say Canada is more likely to suffer consequences under a second Trump presidency, which could also end U.S. support for Ukraine.
Aaron Ettinger is an associate professor of political science at Carleton University who specializes in U.S. foreign policy. He says while American presidents have complained about Canada's defence spending since the end of the Second World War, Canadian leaders have long tried to "stickhandle" around the criticisms.
"Biden might be more forgiving as long as Canada continues to contribute to multilateral operations in eastern Europe, including supplying war materiel to Ukraine," Ettinger told CTVNews.ca.
"Trump would return to his pattern of upbraiding Canada for not spending enough on defence, which would put a Canadian prime minister in a difficult position: spending more on defence comes with no political benefits in Canada and whatever Canada spends won't be enough for Trump."
