Canada to hit 2% defence Nato spending target, years ahead of schedule, says Carney
Canada will hit Nato's defence spending threshold of two per cent this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday, warning that in a 'darker' world, Canada must reduce its security dependence on the United States.
'I am announcing today that Canada will achieve Nato's two per cent target this year, half a decade ahead of schedule,' Carney said during a speech at the University of Toronto.
'The threats that Canada faces are multiplying,' he added.
Carney's pledge followed similar announcements by members of the alliance and comes after consistent pressure by US President Donald Trump for Nato members to spend more on defence.
'In a darker, more competitive world, Canadian leadership will be defined not just by the strength of our values, but also by the value of our strength,' Carney said.
Since taking office in mid-March, Carney has delivered a series of stark warnings about what he terms the changing nature of US global leadership under Trump.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Why democracy vs autocracy isn't the definitive contest shaping the world
What is the fundamental contradiction shaping our world today? Some might say it's the dichotomy between democracy and autocracy – a staple of former US president Joe Biden's world view. However, that perspective seems outdated. Biden's successor, Donald Trump, is well known for being transactional. Last month he said Washington would lift sanctions on Syria, although the country's new government hasn't put it on the path to democracy. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has pitched a slew of positive perks, including a Trump Tower in Damascus. Also, Trump's eagerness for the US to accept the gift of a luxury Boeing 747-8 from Qatar, hardly a bastion of democracy, for use as Air Force One has raised questions about what is expected in return. Meanwhile, the United States' squeeze on academic freedoms – as evidenced by threats to revoke visas for Chinese students and international students harbouring divergent views – speaks volumes of a dystopian new normal. One would think democratic norms should encompass the embracing of pluralism and difference. An alternative reading would suggest that our times are marked by a struggle between the Global North – comprising more advanced and affluent economies – and the Global South
RTHK
2 hours ago
- RTHK
Trump ratchets up threats over Los Angeles protests
Trump ratchets up threats over Los Angeles protests Members of the California National Guard stand with military vehicles outside the Edward Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles. Photo: AFP US President Donald Trump on Monday accused protesters of insurrection as police patrolled central Los Angeles after a weekend of clashes triggered by immigration raids. Residents were ordered not to gather in the city's downtown where demonstrators had torched cars and security forces fired tear gas in violence that local officials stressed remained localized. Trump posted that he had deployed National Guard troops "to deal with the violent, instigated riots" and "if we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated." "The people are causing the problems are professional agitators and insurrectionists," he told reporters in Washington. California's governor Gavin Newsom accused the president of deliberating stoking tensions by using the National Guard, a reserve military force usually controlled by state governors. "This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted," Newsom said. "He flamed the fires." The protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, were triggered by raids and dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. On Monday morning, a heavy police presence stood watch over mostly deserted streets. A few protesters had remained overnight, with some lobbing projectiles and fireworks. "You have the National Guard with loaded magazines and large guns standing around trying to intimidate Americans," protester Thomas Henning told AFP at the scene of the standoff Sunday. Trump's border Tom Homan denied the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency had conducted any raids, describing them as arrests linked to cartels in Mexico and Colombia. "It wasn't an immigration raid," he told MSNBC, saying it was an investigation into money laundering, tax evasion and customs fraud. (AFP)
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump hints he would support arrest of California Governor Newsom amid pro-immigration protests
US President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that he would support an arrest of California Governor Gavin Newsom amid pro-immigration protests in the state, which prompted the president to deploy the National Guard. On Saturday, Tom Homan, the administration's border czar, threatened to arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement efforts in the state, including Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Newsom responded during an NBC News interview by challenging Homan to 'just get it over with' and move ahead with the arrest. Asked on Monday about Newsom daring Homan to arrest him, Trump said: 'I would do it if I were Tom.' Earlier on Monday, Newsom said he planned to file a lawsuit against Trump in response to the administration's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard. 'Commandeering a state's National Guard without consulting the governor of that state is illegal and immoral,' Newsom, a Democrat, told MSNBC.
