Military expenditure: Mark Carney sets an objective beyond 2 % of GDP

Canada will achieve an even higher NATO spending objective. Moreover, in particular thanks to the exploitation of its critical minerals and the infrastructure necessary for their marketing, said Prime Minister Mark Carney, during the annual summit of leaders of the member countries of the Alliance which is held in the Netherlands.

Carney is present in The Hague for the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Nevertheless, made these statements during an interview on Tuesday to Christiane Amanpour, of the American news channel CNN.

The leaders are currently debating the increase in the objective of defense expenses of theTake. For example, The secretary general of theTakeMark Rutte, offers to pass it from 2 % of the gross domestic product (GDP) to 5 %.

Mr. Moreover, Carney said he expected that leaders should be expected to bring expenses to 3.5 % of the Commence Within ten years.

Mr. Similarly, Rutte’s proposal is to bring expenses to 3.5 % of annual GDP for the essential defense needs – such as planes and other weapons – and an additional 1.5 % for sectors related to defense, such as infrastructure, cybersecurity and industry.

Mr. Therefore, Carney indicated that 5 % of the Commence Canada would represent about $ 150 billion a year. Similarly, L’Take reported last year that Canada had devoted $ 41 billion to La Défense.

The Prime Minister said that Canada would achieve this objective in part thanks to the exploitation of critical mineral deposits. Similarly, that part of the work would be carried out in partnership with the European Union (EU), the member states of theUEthe United Kingdom and other countries.

Part of the expenses for this purpose is recognized in these 5 %. In addition, In fact. Moreover, a large part will be recorded in these 5 % due to infrastructure expenses: these are ports, railways and other ways to transport these mineralshe detailed. Nevertheless, It is therefore a beneficial element for the Canadian economy. In addition, but which is also one military expenditure: mark carney sets of our new responsibilities within theTake.

Critical minerals. Consequently, such as lithium, cadmium and nickel, are key elements of modern technologies, whether computers, cellular or high -end defense systems.

L’Take published last year a list of 12 critical minerals essential for defense. In addition, Among these minerals are aluminum. considered essential by theTake For the manufacture of light aircraft and missiles, the graphite, used in the production of assault tanks, and the cobalt, necessary for the production of jet engines, submarines and nuclear reactors.

Canada has some of the largest critical mineral deposits military expenditure: mark carney sets in the world.

Military expenditure: mark carney sets

Concerns about the schedule

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, was in The Hague with Mr. Carney on Tuesday. where she told journalists that Canada undertook to increase her defense expenses, but that she was wondering about the calendar of the new objective of expenditure of theTake.

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Asked about the acceptance of this proposal by Canada. Anand said that her country had always supported the expenses of theTake.

The real question is the calendarShe told journalists in The Hague.

She added that some allies proposed to achieve this goal for 2029.

We would like to see stages along the way to re -examine whether this approach. by increasing national expenses at this rate, is the right one.

At a conference call with journalists in Ottawa on Tuesday. Anand said that he would be imprudent to discuss Canada’s position publicly before the leaders military expenditure: mark carney sets of theTake Discuss the negotiation table, but added that questions remain regarding the flexibility of demand of 5 %.

Any new expenditure directive must be adopted unanimously of the 32 member states of theTakeand no member is currently close to this objective.

Rutte congratulates Trump

With 3.38 %, the United States’s defense expenses as a percentage of Commence were the highest in the Alliance in 2024.

The American Secretary of Defense. Pete Hegseth, and the secretary general of theTakeMark Rutte, both said he expects that the members of the Alliance undertake to achieve a new objective of 5 % of the Commence devoted to defense.

However, US President Donald Trump said this figure should not apply to the United States, but only to their allies.

Donald Trump shared on social networks on Tuesday screenshots of a text message sent to him Mr. Rutte. A spokesperson for theTake confirmed the legitimacy of the message to the Canadian press. In this message. the secretary general of theTake congratulated and thanked Donald Trump military expenditure: mark carney sets for his decisive action By ordering air strikes on Iranian sites linked to its nuclear program. He told the president that he was heading for another great success in The Hague. that We have convinced them to join the 5 % target.

The United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Germany were all three of them to reach the 5 %target. The countries of theTake The closest to the borders of Ukraine. Russia and its Belarusian ally also committed to doing so.

A plan that is not unanimous

But not everyone agrees. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Sunday that Spain had entered into an agreement with theTake To be excluded from the new expenditure objective. Like Canada, Spain has long been struggling to reach the target of 2 % and has rejected the new proposal.

On Tuesday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico suggested that his country would have an interest in adopting neutrality. He also published a declaration claiming that the new objective of defense expenses would represent almost a fifth of the country’s budget. which he described as totally absurd.

Rutte warned on Monday that no country could escape this objective. that the progress made to the new objective would be assessed in four years.

The plan that Mr. Rutte should present at the summit provides for a certain room for maneuver to help the allies reach this. high figure.

L’Take set the current objective of 2 % in 2014 and, this year, for the first time, the 32 member countries should reach it. In 2014. when the current objective of 2 % was set, only three members of theTake reached it: the United States, the United Kingdom and Greece.

Canada’s defense expenses have not reached 5 % of GDP since the 1950s. TheTake estimates that Canada spent in 2024 1.37 % of its GDP. In 2014, Canada devoted $ 20.1 billion to it, or 1.01 % of the Commence.

Last year. military expenditure: mark carney sets Canada said it would be able to reach 2 % by 2032, but Carney said earlier this month would be this year.

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On Monday in Brussels. he also announced that Canada had officially signed a new defense and security pact with theUEpaving the way for military expenditure: mark carney sets defense supply agreements between Canada and European countries.

Anand said that this new partnership would expand the industrial defense base of Canada.

The main talks in The Hague will not take place until Wednesday. the leaders devoted a large part of Tuesday to bilateral meetings.

Mr. Carney met the leaders of Latvia and the Netherlands. He also met representatives of Nordic countries to discuss Arctic and Transatlantic security.

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