OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to face questions from other leaders of the NATO military alliance next week as new figures show Canadian military spending is expected to remain stagnant this year. Allies also agreed in 2014 to direct 20 per cent of their defence spending toward equipment. “President Trump is right about the importance of European allies and Canada spending more,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a news conference Friday. The federal government has suggested this country’s military spending will increase substantially over the next decade as it starts to buy new fighter jets and warships, which together are expected to cost about $70 billion. It’s embarrassing we are missing the mark on overall investments in our national defence.”Trump personally expressed frustration about Canada’s defence spending in a letter to Trudeau ahead of last year’s NATO summit in Brussels.

Source: thestar November 29, 2019 19:52 UTC