U.S. report claims Trudeau told NATO Canada will never meet its military spending target

Leaks of US national security documents have now spread to Canada.

The Washington Post says it has seen Pentagon documents critical of Canada’s military preparedness among materials allegedly posted online by the Massachusetts Air National Guard that were seized last week.

The alleged documents, which the CBC has not yet seen, make two broad claims, according to the Post.

First, it says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told NATO officials privately that Canada will not be able to meet military spending targets agreed to by alliance members.

Second, the document cites significant deficiencies in Canada’s military capabilities as a source of tension with allies and defense partners.

“Widespread defense deficiencies hamper Canada’s capabilities,” the document said, according to the Post. “[Meanwhile it is] interfere with partner relationships and alliance contributions.”

The Post said the document bore the seal of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, indicating it was made for a senior leader of the US Defense Department.

The document reportedly cited several points of tension between Canada and its NATO allies. Germany is reportedly concerned about whether Canada can continue to help Ukraine while meeting NATO commitments.

Other NATO countries, according to the Post report, have complained that Canada has not followed through on promises to increase its presence in Latvia, while the U.S. seeks to accelerate the modernization of Arctic defense technology.

Turkey is reportedly disappointed that Canada refused to help transport humanitarian aid after February’s deadly earthquake, while Haiti’s government is frustrated by its refusal to lead a multilateral security mission there.

Asked about Wednesday’s report, Trudeau defended Canada’s defense spending, which has been on the rise.

Planned increase will see Canadian defense spending grow by $15 billion, or 40 percent, in a few years. Ottawa has also promised to buy F-35 fighter jets and modernization of NORAD.

“I continue to say, and will continue to say, that Canada is a reliable partner for NATO, [a] trusted partner around the world,” Trudeau told reporters as he entered the day’s question period.

Fewer than half of NATO members have reached the alliance’s agreed target of spending two percent of GDP on defense.

Canada ranks among the lowest spenders in NATO as a share of national GDP. In terms of dollars spent, it ranks highest.

Andrew Leslie, a former senior military officer and Liberal MP, said he agreed with the assessment in the leaked documents.

In an interview with the CBC Power and Politicshe contrasted Canada’s past military contributions with what he described as a low present and suggested it occurred at a time of heightened tension and conflict, when other countries looked to Canada for help.

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“Are we pulling weight? Are we stepping up to the plate? No, we’re not,” Leslie told host David Cochrane.

“There is no doubt that the United States is increasingly irritated by the slow and reluctance to spend money on defense capabilities.”

Trudeau was noncommittal when asked about meeting that two percent target. Privately, the Post said – quoting from the document – Trudeau has “told NATO officials that Canada will not reach 2 percent of defense spending.”

In a media statement, Defense Minister spokeswoman Anita Anand said Canada has the “sixth largest defense budget among Alliance members.”

“Our commitment to Euro-Atlantic and global security is ironclad and we continue to make landmark investments to equip our Armed Forces,” said Daniel Minden, stating the plan to buy the F-35, the modernization of NORAD, efforts to expand Canada- led NATO battle group in Latvia to the brigade level and Canada’s aid contribution to Ukraine.

“Canada will continue to increase its military capacity to meet the challenges of today’s world,” he said. “Overall, Canada’s defense policy is to increase our defense spending by more than 70 percent between 2017 and 2026. We also announced $8 billion in additional defense spending in Budget 2022.”