Carney set to make defence announcement in Toronto as NATO eyes spending boost
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's office says he will be in Toronto today to make an announcement related to 'defence and security priorities.'
The announcement is slated for 10 a.m., after which he is set to tour a local military facility before holding a news conference at 1 p.m.
Defence ministers from NATO countries met in Brussels last week to discuss raising the member spending target on defence to as much as five per cent of GDP.
Canada has never met NATO's existing spending target of two per cent since it was established in 2006, and the topic will loom large when NATO leaders meet later this month in the Netherlands.
Carney promised during the recent election campaign to move up Canada's deadline for meeting the two per cent threshold from 2032 to 2030 or sooner, but hasn't yet revealed a plan for meeting that figure.
The NATO secretary-general's annual report released this past April says Canada's defence spending likely hit 1.45 per cent in 2024.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
Canadian Press staff, The Canadian Press
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