The Trump administration wants NATO allies to increase defence spending following meetings on Thursday in Brussels.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly declined to say whether Canada could increase military expenditures to 5 percent of GDP, as requested by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“We do want to leave here with an understanding that we are on a pathway, a realistic pathway, to every single one of the members committing and fulfilling a promise to reach up to 5 percent of spending,” he told reporters in Belgium.

“No one expects that you’re going to be able to do this in one year or two. But the pathway has to be real.”

Canada currently spends 1.37 percent of its GDP on defence and plans to reach 2% over the next decade, to meet NATO targets.

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Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says NATO spending did not come up in her meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio but she believes Canada “need[s] to do more and, and [needs] to do more quicker” on defence. pic.twitter.com/Or3Fosxtzr

— Juno News (@junonewscom) January 30, 2025

Joly, responding to Rubio's call for Canada to increase defence spending to 5 percent, pointed out that the U.S. only spends 3.2 percent of GDP on defence. Though Canada did inflate defence spending figures twice last year.

Canada would need to significantly increase its military spending to meet the proposed NATO spending requirement to roughly $100 billion.

“Defence expenditures would need to reach $81.9 billion by 2032, almost double the projected amount for 2024 of $41 billion,” said the PBO report The Fiscal Implications of Meeting the NATO Military Spending Target.

“They are different numbers, with respect,” Defence Minister Bill Blair told reporters last October, claiming the Budget Officer used ‘different arithmetic’ than his department (DND).

Defence Minister Bill Blair refused to provide a timeline for when the Trudeau government will raise defence spending to 2% of GDP - the minimum level of defence spending required by NATO. Recently, 23 U.S. senators penned a letter urging PM Trudeau to meet Canada’s NATO… pic.twitter.com/Smr40NGRl8

— Juno News (@junonewscom) May 24, 2024

Fast forward to April 3, and Minister Joly said Canada is boosting defence spending due to increased global threats, including Russia's war in Ukraine and China's military buildup and partnership with Russia in the Arctic.

She signaled Canada's interest in joining a European defence procurement pact, to rearm the continent and reduce reliance on the U.S. for protection.

Joly claims Canada can help Europe defend itself with its uranium, AI, and experience navigating the Arctic.

Moreover, Canada's participation in any post-conflict peacekeeping force in Ukraine would require a mandate from Canadians. The priority now is for Russia to commit to peace talks.

Trudeau claims he "invested massively in defence" while blaming the Harper Conservatives, who last governed in 2015, for Canada's failure to meet NATO spending commitments.

The Liberals "have a solid and real plan to reach" those goals "in the coming years," he adds. pic.twitter.com/FxN9YB1F0B

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 12, 2025

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government's spending on defence, stating that they had increased it from less than one percent of GDP to over one percent.

Of 32 NATO members, 23 countries meet or exceed the 2 percent GDP target. 

Trudeau announced that Canada will spend 2 percent of its GDP on defence by 2032, pledging $73 billion over 20 years, but did not clarify how it will reach the NATO target.

Minister Blair has repeatedly claimed Canada will reach the 2032 target but fell short on a timeline to meet spending obligations.

PM Trudeau behind closed doors told NATO that Canada will never meet it's 2% of GDP defence spending requirement. He refuses to answer when asked about the leaks. pic.twitter.com/lNZ9q2dBTo

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 20, 2023

Skepticism remains after a 2023 Pentagon assessment revealed Trudeau would not, in fact, meet these targets. He dodged questions by reporters when asked to clarify his findings.

Obtained and first reported by The Washington Post, the document acknowledged Canada suffered from “widespread” military deficiencies that harmed relations with Western allies.

Only 58 percent of the Armed Forces could mobilize should their NATO allies declare war, according to a secret DND presentation obtained by CBC News.

Nearly half of the military's equipment, including 45 percent of that reserved for European defense, is unusable, it said.

Almost half of Canadians believe the military is underfunded and lacks equipment, according to a 2024 study. Only 26 percent of Canadians surveyed believe current military spending is adequate, and only 27 percent believe the Canadian Armed Forces are sufficiently equipped for combat.