U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen said Canada’s defense spending is moving in the right direction, but the federal government’s failure to meet NATO goals is hurting the country’s reputation on the world stage.
Canada is one of the few countries yet to meet the Alliance’s agreed goal of spending 2% of GDP on defence.
And Donald Trump’s reelection in the United States has taken on a new sense of urgency, with many Canadian and American politicians saying in recent months that delayed defense contributions are likely to become a priority again for the next president. commented. .
In an interview on Sunday’s CTV Question Period, Cohen emphasized his earlier argument that the share of GDP spending should not be the only measure of a country’s contribution to the alliance. But he acknowledged that Canada’s failure to meet its goals, which it signed more than a decade ago, is a contributing factor.
“What we’re hearing from American politicians and other NATO allies is that Canada consistently underperforms on key metrics, and even without any subsequent nuances, it’s important to note that Canada’s position in the world from a defense-related perspective is clear. There’s no question that it’s hurting the standing of the country,” Cohen told host Vassy Kapelos.
The ambassador, who will be replaced by former Michigan congressman Pete Hoekstra, who was nominated by President Trump, pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate in January, pointed to recent spending announcements from the federal government and said that allies It added that member states see Canada as “strengthening.” government.
“And I think they see Canada being responsive to these concerns, and I think that will start to restore Canada’s standing in the world, and it will happen fairly quickly.” he said.
Cohen said a “nuanced view” of the issue would include considering Canada’s contributions not only to NATO but also to other defense-related efforts. He specifically cited cybersecurity, space, and work in Haiti and Ukraine as items that don’t necessarily count toward NATO’s numbers.
But, he added, “Let me be clear: the United States and I want Canada to spend more on defense.”
“And what concerns me is that there’s an unhealthy focus on one of the metrics that a lot of people tend to focus on, which is the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) that Canada spends on defence. “I think so,” he added. “I want to look at spending rates, what’s happening with Canadian spending, and the trajectory of spending.”
Cohen said Canada’s spending is increasing, even when only considered as a percentage of GDP. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged this summer to meet the goal by 2032, eight years after the originally agreed deadline.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period in recent months, Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said Canada is “already past” the deadline for fulfilling its commitments, and that President Trump’s Former Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft said 2032 is “not enough,” and former Canadian Ambassador to the United States Derek Burney said Canada is “irrelevant” and “behind” when it comes to defense spending.
But Cohen’s latest comments echo what he has been saying for months. In an interview with Question Period last June, he said Canada needs to spend more on defense, but that the United States does not “assess Canada’s defense efforts with reference to a single metric.” said.
In the interview, Cohen also addressed border security amid Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports until the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants across the border is stopped.
He also shared his views on free trade in North America after some state premiers suggested that Canada enter into bilateral agreements with the United States and exclude Mexico from existing agreements. did.
On the issue, Cohen said he comes from the “‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ school” and called the current iteration of NAFTA “absolutely incredible.”
Cohen’s full interview will be available on CTV Question Period Sunday mornings at 11ET/8PT on CTV and CTV News Channel.
