Liberal leadership candidates spent Thursday attempting to one-up each other over how quickly they’d meet NATO’s defence spending target.
Both Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould vowed to bring Canada’s military spending up to the equivalent of two percent of national GDP by 2027, while Frank Baylis committed to reaching that target by 2030—a pitch he made in a National Post op-ed in July.
To get there, they all promised changes to Canadian Armed Forces salaries.
Freeland was the most specific—she’s pledged a 50 percent hike in wages for regular force members and better benefits—while Gould said she also would increase salaries….