Growing Number of Canadians Want Ottawa to Meet NATO Military Spending Target: Poll

A new Angus Reid poll shows growing support among Canadians for a boost in military funding.(Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

Canadians are increasingly identifying military spending as a priority with more than half of the voting age public saying Ottawa should meet its NATO spending obligations.

According to the data from the Angus Reid Institute, 53 percent of Canadians would like to see the federal government fulfil its obligation to its military allies by spending at least 2 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) on defence.

Canada currently spends just shy of 1.4 percent of its GDP on the military, and 30 percent of those polled were satisfied with that number while 16 percent thought spending should be reduced further, the survey found.

Canada recommitted to reaching the 2 percent target at NATO’s annual meeting last summer in Lithuania and agreed to have the number become the base requirement for all 31 member countries. The number of countries expected to meet that goal this year has risen to 18 from 11, but Canada is not among that number.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly told NATO officials in private that Canada will never meet the defence-spending target, according to The Washington Post, which cited secret Pentagon documents obtained last spring that said Canada’s “widespread military deficiencies” were harming its relationships with security partners and allies.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his party would “work toward” the 2 percent goal if elected next year—a move Tory supporters want to see, according to the survey. Seven out of 10 respondents said they would support a Conservative government that would meet or surpass the 2 percent spending goal.

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“As such, two major factors may influence Canada’s defence spending future: which government is in power in both Canada and the United States,” Angus Reid authors wrote in a report on the findings. “A potential return of former president Donald Trump might increase the pressure on either a Conservative or Liberal government to pony up.”

The former president recently threatened that, if elected, his government would not defend underspending NATO allies from Russian aggression. If Mr. Trump was to return to the White House, 65 percent of Canadians said they would be onboard with increasing military spending to meet the 2 percent benchmark.

When Mr. Trump’s hypothetical scenario was taken into account, support for increased military spending jumped by double digits across most age and gender groups, the report said. Notably, support among women between the ages of 18 and 34 rose from 22 to 47 percent, despite this demographic typically showing lower approval for military spending.

Changing Public Opinion

Canadians have long placed trade with international partners as the most important foreign affairs issue and a focus on military spending as the least pressing priority. That is changing, the poll found.

Fifty-eight percent of Canadians now say “Canada is falling behind with respect to its military power,” the report noted.

The proportion of Canadians choosing their nation’s military preparedness and presence on the world stage as a top priority has risen from 12 percent in 2015 to 29 percent today while building better trade ties with international partners has dropped from 57 to 43 percent.

The Angus Reid report cites the war between Russia and Ukraine as a chief reason for the change in Canadians’ opinions on defence spending.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said he expects a “clear commitment” from Canada on when it will meet its 2 percent target.

“Canada should, as all other allies, deliver on the pledge to invest 2 percent, because we need that in a more dangerous world,” he said during a recent media interview.

The biggest commitment NATO has right now, Mr. Stoltenberg said, is supporting Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.

“I’m confident NATO allies will continue to support Ukraine,” he said. “Supporting Ukraine is not charity. Supporting Ukraine is an investment in our own security.”

Canada has committed more than $9.7 billion to the war effort since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Defence Minister Bill Blair announced last month that Ottawa will donate more than 800 Canadian-made drones at a cost of $95 million. They are expected to be delivered to Ukraine by spring.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.