Minister of National Defence Bill Blair delivers remarks during the First Annual National Defence Conference in Ottawa, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA - Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada could hit its NATO defence spending target within just a few years if need be but didn't commit to doing so.

NATO members have all committed to spend the equivalent of two per cent of its GDP on defence but Canada has consistently failed to reach that target.

Last summer, following backlash from Republican lawmakers in the U.S., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian defence spending would hit the two per cent marker in 2032.

But there was no clear plan to get there, and some military analysts have questioned whether 2032 was possible.

Today when Blair was asked by a reporter if Canada could reach that mark in two years, Blair replied that is "absolutely achievable" but didn't say it would happen.

He has previously suggested he wants to see the time frame accelerated, but did not offer any clues about how much it could be sped up.

Blair made the comments as the Liberal caucus huddles on Parliament Hill to talk Canada-U.S. relations and next steps for the party.

He said while Canada can hit two per cent, his concern is about managing the spending in a "responsible way."

Blair says Canada is looking at how to accelerate its plan to ramp up investments in the Canadian Armed Forces and wants to "get this job done as quickly as possible," but made no new commitments on Friday.

President Donald Trump has thundered about NATO allies not paying their fair share and now insists they should spend five per cent.

He has also threatened to slam Canada with 25 per cent tariffs on all imports as early as next week which deal a blow to Canadian GDP.

Former defence minister Harjit Sajjan acknowledged that would affect the spending ratio and the NATO figure would go up -- albeit not the way anyone wants.

"If your GDP goes down, yeah, you can easily reach those numbers," he said.

"That's something we always remind people," he noted. "We'd rather do defence spending through investments based on growing our GDP."

Blair also said this isn't just an accounting exercise and all the focus should really be on the substance of the investments, not the top-line numbers.

NATO allies agreed in 2014 to work towards the two per cent target and in 2023 committed to hitting it.

NATO figures from last June suggest Canada spent 1.37 per cent of its GDP on defence in 2024. The Liberals have said they expect it reach 1.76 per cent by the end of the decade and two per cent in 2032, but the Parliamentary Budget Officer said his analysis suggests it will be closer to 1.58 per cent in 2030.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025