NATO welcomes Sweden, Finland will put pressure on Canada’s defense spending: experts – National
Welcoming Sweden and Finland to NATO will put further pressure on Canada to increase its own defense spending and contributions to the military alliance, experts say.
The two Nordic countries were formally invited to join the alliance on Wednesday, marking one of the biggest changes in European security in decades after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced Helsinki and Stockholm to abandon their tradition of neutrality.
Once the move is ratified and Sweden and Finland add their well-trained armies to NATO, “the question will be, why is Canada, one of the richest countries on the planet … does not improve our ability to protect our sovereignty”, said Aurel Braun, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto.
“Right now, what we contribute is not enough.”
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Canada has not yet publicly committed itself to the Alliance’s goal of spending at least two percent of its gross national product on defense, which was first agreed in 2014.
New figures released by NATO on Monday estimated that Canadian defense spending will actually fall as a share of GDP to 1.27 percent this year compared to 1.32 percent last year and 1.42 percent in 2020.
On Wednesday at a NATO summit in Spain attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his foreign and military ministers, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said all countries should treat the two percent target as “the floor, not the roof”, as the world becomes more dangerous in the midst of Russia’s aggression.
Stoltenberg told reporters that he understands the desire to spend taxpayers’ money on healthcare, education and infrastructure. But he added that he still expects “all allies to meet the guidelines we have set” for defense spending, “including Canada.”
Braun agrees that welfare spending is important, but says that Sweden and Finland are proof that countries with strong social safety nets can also meet the goals set by NATO. Finland already spends more than two percent of its GDP on defense, while Sweden has publicly promised to reach the same threshold by 2028.
“So what is Canada waiting for?” he asked.
On Wednesday, Canada signed an agreement to upgrade NATO’s combat group, which it will lead in Latvia to a brigade, which will double the number of troops to between 3,000 and 5,000.
However, the government says it is too early to confirm whether it will involve the deployment of additional Canadian troops as part of the upgrade.
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Robert Baines, President of the NATO Association of Canada, said the announcement of an upgraded force in Latvia indicates Canada’s commitment to the Alliance.
“This is a strong message of continued support for NATO that will enable Canada to pay attention to the capabilities and contributions of the Canadian Armed Forces to NATO operations and that will help balance the weak dimensions of our low defense spending,” ” he said. in a statement.
Pressed on Canada’s defense spending on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Canadians could be proud of the country’s work in NATO and in the Ukrainian conflict in general, and emphasized the role of diplomacy in responding to Russia’s aggression.
The parliamentary budget chief said in a report this month that the federal government would need to spend another $ 75.3 billion on defense over the next five years for Canada to reach NATO’s two percent of GDP target.
Earlier this year, the federal budget pledged $ 8 billion in additional defense spending, part of what the government often describes as a 70 percent increase in defense spending, first described in the 2017 defense policy restoration.
Still, there are still questions about how much of that $ 8 billion – if any – will be used for the $ 4.9 billion in upgrades to NORAD’s radar and surveillance system announced last week.
General Wayne Eyre, chief of defense staff, told Global News. Western block last week that he does not know where the money for NORAD comes from.
An increase in defense spending with a focus on NORAD is considered necessary to protect Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic, and to counter efforts by Russia and China to maintain a greater presence in the region.
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Braun says that Sweden and Finland will be able to help Canada and the rest of NATO on that front, while limiting Russia’s aggression elsewhere.
“These are two Arctic states … which will also prevent Russia from turning the Baltic Sea into a Russian lake,” he said, noting that Finland itself shares a border with Russia.
“It completely changes the regional picture.”
Sweden’s and Finland’s inclusion in NATO will also mean that every member of the Arctic Council – except Russia – will be a member of the military alliance, which further weakens Moscow’s influence.
“One of the most important messages from President Putin … was that he was against any further NATO enlargement,” Stoltenberg said on Tuesday night. “He wanted less NATO. Now President Putin is getting more NATO at its borders.”
Braun put forward a similar argument.
– They were driven to this, he said, referring to Sweden and Finland.
“It tells us that Russia not only has bureaucracy, that Russia is not a victim, but Russia has succeeded in alienating two countries that were so hard-working to have good relations that Russia has become a rogue state.”
– With files from Global Amanda Connolly and Canadian Press
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