Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told world leaders Monday morning it's his predecessor Stephen Harper's fault Canada has failed to meet its NATO defence spending promise. Harper, Canada's last Conservative prime minister, has not been in power for nine years. NATO defence ministers in 2006 agreed 2% of GDP should be spent on defence. The agreement was solidified in 2014, and renewed in 2023 — where Trudeau included Canada in the pledge to meet the 2% targets. Military spending under the Trudeau Liberals has trailed embarrassingly behind its NATO allies, with a measly 1.37% allocated to defence..Canada needs to spend billions more to meet NATO defence requirements .Trudeau addressing the 70th annual session of the NATO parliamentary assembly in Montreal claimed his Liberal administration “stepped up big time" in defence spending since he became prime minister in 2015.Canada is on a “clear path” to meeting NATO defence spending targets by 2032, he said. Canada has been widely criticized by world leaders for its lack of defence spending, including President-elect Donald Trump, who in 2018 said targets should be 4% of GDP.Other critics include US Sen. Jim Risch observing Canada has to do more with its military while in Halifax at an International Security Forum over the weekend, and a letter signed by 23 US senators addressed to Trudeau this past spring, condemning Canada's lack of dedication to defence..WATCH: Trudeau says climate change is Canada’s most existential threat while failing to meet NATO defence targets .Trudeau told the NATO assembly though usually Conservative governments spend more on military than progressive one, the case was "reversed" in Canada. "When my progressive Liberal government took office in 2015, the previous Conservative government had dropped investments in defence to below 1% of GDP.""They're very good at photo ops and waving flags, they were not so good at making necessary investments.""So we ended up stepping up big time, doubled our spending on defence, on our way to tripling it in 2030."Canada’s defence spending plans “are as concrete as possible,” he said, but conceded more has to be done.“We are on a clear path to reach 2% in the coming years because we know that the world is changing and Canada, along with our allies, needs to be ready for it,” said Trudeau.He said his government has increased defence spending $175 billion to raise the current 1.37% to 1.76% in 2030.The Parliamentary Budget Officer negates Trudeau’s claims, however, calling his economic projections “erroneous,” per the Canadian Press..“One of the challenges we’ve always had with the 2% (target) is that it doesn’t really matter what you spend it on, what matters is that you just reach that limit and Canada has never felt that way,” said Trudeau.“We’ve made sure that our investments are as concrete as possible, and contributing to the capacity of Canadians to continue to be involved in leading in so many different NATO aspects.”“We have to do more, and we are doing more, but particularly stepping up in the Arctic, stepping up in some of the most important challenges we’re facing is something that all NATO countries can continue to count on Canada for.”.Report finds Blair inflated Canada’s military spending figures as NATO targets remain out of reach .Trudeau while delivering his speech finally condemned anti-Israel, anti-NATO riots that ripped through Montreal streets Friday, burning buildings and vehicles, smashing windows, and allegedly even assaulting police officers.Multiple arrests have been laid so far, and the chaos was condemned by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. Trudeau, however, was occupied Friday night at a Taylor Swift concert where he traded friendship bracelets with teenage girls while violent riots ensued across the province..Liberals double-down on meeting NATO defence targets by 2032.“As a democracy, as a country that will always defend the freedom of speech, it’s important for people to be able to go out and protest and express their anger, their disagreements in free and comfortable ways, but there is never any room for anti-Semitism, for hatred, for discrimination, for violence,” said Trudeau at the assembly.“We expect all those responsible to be pursued and punished under the full extent of the law and we expect the authorities to do their work.”.A Jewish journalist, Ezra Levant of Rebel News was arrested over the weekend for documenting a pro-Hamas protest in Toronto. Levant’s presence at the protest was a “breach of the peace,” police told Levant on video..WATCH: Ezra Levant arrested while reporting on Toronto anti-Israel protest
