Canada Needs to Double Military Spending to Meet NATO Target: Budget Watchdog

Reservists pack military vehicles with boats and fuel at CFB Kingston in Kingston, Ont., on May 9, 2017. The Canadian Press/Lars Hagberg

The Canadian government would need to double its military spending to meet the NATO target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defence, according to a new Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) report.

The Oct. 30 report from Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux said Canada’s military spending would need to reach $81.9 billion by 2032–33, which is nearly double the projected $41 billion for 2024–25, to meet the target.