Canadian Chamber Calls for Credible Defence Spending Plan to Meet NATO Target

The Prime Minister’s announcement today that Canada hopes to meet the 2% NATO defence spending commitment by 2032 is underwhelming at best.

It’s been clear for months that international pressure was building for Canada to disclose how it plans to meet its past commitments to our NATO partners. And yet even with all this time to plan, the best Canada can muster are vague reassurances and an extended timeline—no details, no costing.

Meaningfully addressing the new and evolving threats in the global security environment will require a credible plan that is serious about shoring up and modernizing our defence industrial base. Canada has incredible strengths in areas such as aerospace, critical minerals, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence which can be leveraged to bolster our own security, and to help fill gaps in the security architectures of our NATO allies. Having a detailed and credible plan for meeting this commitment is not only integral to reestablishing Canada’s reputation as a dependable security partner—it’s also essential to maintaining our critical trade relationships. As we approach the US Presidential election and the 2026 review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), it is especially important that we show the world we continue to be a reliable ally.

Matthew Holmes, Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Relations, Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most activated business network — representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 business of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country — to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance.

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Contact
Rewa Mourad
Public Relations Specialist Canadian Chamber of Commerce
rmourad@chamber.ca