QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
March 23, 2022
Government leader, I’d like to follow up on the question from my colleague Senator Carignan who unfortunately didn’t get an answer on a very important issue.
The Secretary-General of NATO has made it clear repeatedly that they would like Canada to carry its fair share of spending when it comes to maintaining their request of 2% of its GDP investment in security and national defence, particularly in the context of the threats democracy is facing around the world, including the threats we potentially face in the Northwest Passage in this country and the Arctic with Putin being right next door to us. Your government has failed.
Now, with your coalition with the NDP, a party that has unequivocally said they do not support any defence and security spending, will your government continue to fail now that you have this new coalition in not respecting the call of our security friends and allies around the world that want us to carry our fair share in our spending when it comes to supporting NATO and its security capability on behalf of Canada and Canadians?
A supply and confidence arrangement does not — and I will insist on using those terms, colleagues, because in any serious parliamentary institution, facts should matter. However, that is not to deny you the right to continue to call the arrangement whatever you want. It’s your privilege, but it is mine to insist on the terms that are accurate.
There is nothing in the arrangement that has been communicated publicly or to me that speaks to this issue, nor is it the case that the call for 2% of GDP is necessarily the same thing as doing one’s fair share. The position of Canada has been for some time that it does indeed do its fair share, notwithstanding the fact that according to certain calculations, Canada has not and does not provide spending as requested by NATO.
Canada continues to re-evaluate its needs. The crisis in Ukraine has certainly shone a spotlight on it. As I said in my response to our colleague’s questions, details of what the government’s intentions and plans are for its defence spending will be revealed in the budget. Until then, we’ll just have to be patient.
Honourable senators, the time for Question Period has expired.
