A U.S. lawmaker says while it’s good news that Canada has now committed to meeting its NATO defence spending target, the country needs to make up for the amount it missed over the past two decades.
Speaking on a panel at the Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) on Nov. 21, Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, said he has a “serious frustration” with NATO countries that failed to meet the minimum spending goal of 2 percent of their GDP on defence over the last 20 years. The consequence, he said, is a $2 trillion shortfall, with “$300 billion from Canada alone.”
“It’s fine to say you’re about to catch up, but it’s not fun to look past a $300 billion shortfall,” Tillis told a morning panel. “Can we do a makeup payment for the 20 years of shortfalls as well?”…