U.S. senator calls out Canada's 'feeble commitment' on NATO spending
A Republican senator welcomed Canada's new defence minister to the portfolio Wednesday with a pointed critique of what he called a "feeble commitment" to defence spending by America's northern neighbour.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) called out the federal Liberal government's consistent failure to meet NATO's two per cent spending target -- and urged the man likely to take over command of the continent's defences to do the same.
"Canada is not even close to its two per cent commitment," Sullivan said during a confirmation hearing for U.S. Air Force Lt.-Gen. Gregory Guillot, President Joe Biden's nominee to take over Norad.
Sullivan called it "common knowledge" at this month's NATO summit in Lithuania that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was trying to "water down" the idea of establishing two per cent of national GDP as a minimum defence commitment.
"Americans get frustrated when our allies don't pull their weight," Sullivan said.
"With regard to NATO, Canada's not even close to pulling its weight. Can you commit to us to have those tough conversations, but important, with your Canadian counterparts?"
"Yes, senator, you can count on me to do that," answered Guillot, who if confirmed would succeed Gen. Glen VanHerck as commander of Norad, the shared Canada-U.S. continental defence system.
The exchange came on the very day Trudeau announced a sweeping cabinet shuffle that saw former emergency preparedness minister Bill Blair take over as defence minister from Anita Anand, who held the portfolio since October 2021.
Canada's reputation on defence spending is nothing new -- and recent U.S. headlines haven't helped.
Sullivan cited a Wall Street Journal editorial earlier this month that described Canada as a "military free-rider" and the Liberal government as one that sees the armed forces "as more of a social project than a fighting force."
And in April, the Washington Post reported on leaked Pentagon intelligence that said Trudeau had privately acknowledged in meetings with NATO officials that Canada would never meet the two per cent target.
On Thursday, Trudeau rejected the notion that Canada is a laggard on defence spending.
Last year, the government promised to spend $38.6 billion on Norad upgrades over 20 years, including $7 billion on modern early-warning radar and $7.3 billion to prepare airfields and northern airstrips for the new fleet of F-35 fighter jets.
"We've invested massively in Norad modernization just earlier this year, and we're continuing to step up in our NATO commitments," Trudeau said.
Canada played a central role in securing more global support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, helped ensure Sweden would be swiftly added to the military alliance and is buttressing its presence in Latvia, he added.
"We continue to engage around the world, even as we continue to procure the kinds of equipment that the Canadian Armed Forces are going to need to continue to do their work," Trudeau said.
"We're going to continue to step up in this time of increased concerns around security everywhere around the world."
Critiques of Canadian defence spending are often a popular talking point on either side of the border, both in Republican and Conservative circles. Former president Donald Trump was among the more scathing critics.
But Barack Obama, Trump's Democratic predecessor, also made a point of trying to shame Canada into spending more, albeit more diplomatically.
"We'll be more secure when every NATO member, including Canada, contributes its full share to our common security," Obama said in a speech to the House of Commons during his last official trip north in 2016.
"The Canadian Armed Forces are really good and if I can borrow a phrase, the world needs more Canada. NATO needs more Canada."
Biden, however, has been largely silent on the matter, possibly to protect NATO solidarity in an era when U.S. angst about interventionist foreign policy is mounting and Russian President Vladimir Putin is on the march.
Even past and present U.S. ambassadors to Canada have stayed true to form.
In the immediate aftermath of the Post report in April, Obama's former Canadian envoy David Jacobson described Trudeau's private NATO musings as "a perfect example of what not to do" to preserve global solidarity.
The very next day, Biden emissary David Cohen struck an entirely different tone, rushing to Canada's defence.
"I think it would be a bad mistake -- and I frankly think that too many people are making this mistake -- that somehow we need to assess Canada's commitment to defence by one metric," Cohen said.
"I don't think that's right."
During Wednesday's hearing, Sullivan also pressed Guillot on the role the Arctic -- and, by extension, his home state of Alaska -- will play in a new era of emerging international dangers posed by Russia, China and others.
"When you're talking about beefing up in the Arctic, you're talking about beefing up in Alaska, correct?" Sullivan asked.
"Yes, sir -- and to your previous point, to talk to our Canadian counterparts about placing radars there as well," Guillot replied.
"Hopefully they'll pay for that at some point," Sullivan interjected. "They're not very good at paying for missile defence either, even though we protect the whole North American continent."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP needs to decide whether 4 million Canadians deserve dental care: minister
Procurement Minister and newly appointed Quebec lieutenant Jean-Yves Duclos is warning the NDP that the dental care program it helped put into place will be in jeopardy if it pulls its support from the governing Liberals.
2 suspended from U.S. college swim team after report of slur scratched onto student's body
At least two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have been suspended from the swim team after a report that a racial slur was scratched onto a student's body, officials said.
The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹´«Ã½ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, makes first public appearance after cancer treatment
Kate, the Princess of Wales, made her first public appearance Sunday since she announced she had completed chemotherapy and would return to some public duties.
'Hubris and greed': Takeaways from the first week of U.S. Coast Guard inquiry into the Titan submersible disaster
More than a year after the Titan submersible imploded, killing all five voyagers on board, the story of the ill-fated expedition to the Titanic has taken the form of a modern-day Greek tragedy overflowing with mortal pride and heedlessness.
What is the U.S. Electoral College? America's path to the presidency, explained
In less than two months, Americans will go to the polls to choose their next president. But the process that translates those millions of votes into one seat in the Oval Office is much more complicated than a straight tally.
Trump's goal of mass deportations fell short. But he has new plans for a second term
Donald Trump has long pledged to deport millions of people, but he's bringing more specifics to his current bid for the White House: invoking wartime powers, relying on like-minded governors and using the military.
A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.