Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was “surprised” to hear that other provincial leaders have come together to urge Canada to meet NATO defense spending targets ahead of schedule. said.
Ford, who currently chairs the Council of the Federation of Canadian Prime Ministers, told CTV Question Period host Vassie Kapelos in an exclusive interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday that the prime minister’s government is in the midst of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat of new tariffs. He said that they were asking questions and told them: I conveyed this to the prime minister during a meeting with him last week.
Asked if the prime minister had committed to accelerating defense spending by bringing the government’s 2032 target forward, Ford said: “No,[Trudeau]did not confirm that he intended to do that.” .
“He was surprised that we were so interested in it,” Ford added. “But that’s the next thing. President-elect Trump is going to say we need to meet the 2 percent.” [of GDP] NATO’s promise, and he’s right. We need to get to 2% and we need to secure our borders. ”
The next U.S. president will impose a 25% tax on all imports from Canada and Mexico from his first day back in the Oval Office until neighboring countries meet a series of demands, including stopping the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants across the border. vowed to impose tariffs on
President Trump’s announcement of the move on social media on Monday sent alarm bells across Canada, prompting an emergency meeting of the prime minister and all premiers.
Prime Minister Trudeau also made a surprise visit to West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday night, where he had a three-hour dinner with Trump and several other guests, during which senior government officials said national defense came up. he told CTV News.
Asked whether accelerating Canada’s defense spending schedule was part of the talks between the prime ministers, Ford said, “That was the case,” and that the premiers were “unanimous.” .
“Quite a few premiers spoke up,” Ford said, crediting Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew for “leading the way” on the issue.
“We can’t wait years into the future,” Ford said. “We need to do it now.”
Several U.S. politicians have warned that Canada should aim to meet its defense spending targets sooner than currently planned to honor its NATO commitments and influence the incoming Trump administration.
Earlier this month, Ohio Representative Mike Turner, chairman of the U.S. House of Commons Intelligence Committee, told CTV Question Period in an exclusive interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that Canada is “already overdue” to fulfill its commitments. Ta. Similarly, Kelly Craft, President Trump’s former ambassador to Canada, said in an interview with Question Period that 2032 is “not enough,” adding, “If Donald Trump says he expects people to pay their fair share, If so, the people will do so.”
NATO members agreed to a 2% of GDP target 10 years ago at the Wales Summit and committed to achieving that target by this year. According to NATO statistics, 23 of 32 member states are on track to meet their commitments this year.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO, and this summer he announced that Russia will “do whatever it wants” to member states, withholding U.S. protection and attacking them if they don’t meet spending targets. He said he intended to forgive.
Meanwhile, Ontario will receive $27 billion in funding from the federal government in 2024-25. Asked if Ottawa intended to give up some of that money to direct it to national defense instead, Ford said Ontario “gives more money to the federal government than the federal government gives us back.” “There is,” he claimed.
“What they have to do is allocate the appropriate amount of spending to protect our country, protect NATO members around the world, and make sure that our men and women, the women in our military, are taken care of. ” he said.
Asked whether the trade-off would likely be an even larger federal budget deficit, Ford said, as in Ontario, “we have a path to balance” at this point, with the federal government in charge of its own books. It depends, Ford said.
“I think what they need to do is review all of their finances and make sure they prioritize, whether it’s defense spending, whether it’s health care, or any other area that’s involved,” Ford said. spoke. “It’s up to them to balance the books and reduce debt.”
The prime minister also touched on calls for more resources for border security in the interview, and Ford said federal officials claimed during the meeting that they had a plan, but did not provide a timeline. .
He also addressed the criticism Conservative Leader Pierre Poièvre made of Trudeau this week. Mr. Poiivre said the prime minister was “too weak” to engage with Mr. Trump, and Mr. Ford refused to agree with that characterization.
Ford’s full interview can be seen during CTV’s Question Period on Sundays at 11 a.m./8 p.m. on CTV and the CTV News Channel.
From the files of CTV News Chief Political Correspondent Vassie Kapelos
