McGuinty says Ottawa reviewing defence spending ‘top to bottom' ahead of NATO summit
OTTAWA – Defence Minister David McGuinty says Ottawa is reviewing its defence spending plans 'from top to bottom' as Canada comes under pressure from allies to ramp up spending to levels not seen since the height of the Cold War.
Speaking with European news media outside NATO headquarters in Brussels, McGuinty said the federal government will have more to say 'very soon' about its alliance spending commitments and will be 'making announcements in this regard.'
McGuinty is in Belgium taking part in the NATO defence ministers' meeting.
Leaders of allied nations will gather at the end of the month in the Netherlands for the annual NATO summit, where they're widely expected to agree on a massive hike to their defence spending commitments.
Canada is under pressure from its allies to increase its defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP — a three-point hike from the current target.
Ottawa has long struggled to meet the current 2 per cent benchmark and currently spends just 1.33 per cent of its GDP on defence, according to a recent NATO report.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada Standard
11 minutes ago
- Canada Standard
Daily World Briefing, June 7
Libyan PM orders investigation into clashes in coastal city Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah on Friday ordered an investigation into clashes that broke out Thursday in the northwestern coastal city of Sabratha. The Information Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement that Dbeibah had instructed the commander of the Western Military Zone "to start an immediate and thorough investigation" into the clashes. "The instructions are part of orders made yesterday to assign the Western Military Zone commander to urgently interfere on ground and stop the fighting," the statement added. According to local media, clashes broke out on Thursday between rival armed groups in Sabratha, some 70 km west of the capital Tripoli, and lasted until Friday morning. No casualties have been reported so far. NATO defense ministers struggle to bridge divides over military spending goals NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday "broadly" agreed to pursue a significant increase in member states' military spending to 5 percent of GDP. However, sharp disagreements over the timeline and spending categories revealed deep divisions ahead of the alliance's upcoming summit in The Hague, scheduled for June 24-25. "There's broad support. We are really close," Mark Rutte, NATO's secretary general, told reporters after the meeting. He stressed that he has "total confidence that we will get there" by the next NATO summit in three weeks. Rutte proposed a compromise plan: setting a target of 3.5 percent of GDP for core military spending, and an additional 1.5 percent for broader security-related areas such as infrastructure, by 2032. Wildfire smoke causes poor air quality in major Canadian cities Smoke from wildfires burning in northern Ontario and the Prairies of Canada caused poor air quality and reduced visibility in major cities including Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal on Friday. Environment Canada issued special air quality statements for these areas on Friday, warning that people most likely to suffer health effects from air pollution should avoid strenuous activities outdoors and seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms. Environment Canada's David Phillips said on CTV News that as wildfires ramp up across the country, air quality is deteriorating. "What we've seen this week, of course, in Ontario is a lot of that smoke from fires has come south," Phillips said. Trump to sell his Tesla car as feud with Musk carries risks for both: report U.S. President Donald Trump planned to sell the red Tesla car he said he bought in March, reported The New York Times on Friday, noting that Trump originally purchased the car to demonstrate his support for Elon Musk amid a backlash over his role in the administration. "Administration officials said Mr. Trump showed little interest in engaging with Mr. Musk, even after the billionaire signaled he would be open to de-escalating the fight" they currently have, added the report. Late Thursday, Musk backed off a threat to "immediately" decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which transports NASA astronauts and supplies to and from the International Space Station. A short time later, when Bill Ackman, the hedge-fund billionaire, posted on social media that the two men "should make peace for the benefit of our great country," Musk responded, "You're not wrong." "For Musk, a prolonged feud with Trump could be hugely expensive," noted the report. His companies, including SpaceX, have benefited from billions of dollars in government contracts and were positioned to receive billions more. Trump threatened on Thursday to end those contracts. United Airlines resumes flights to Israel over month after Houthi airport attack U.S. carrier United Airlines has resumed flights to Israel after a suspension of more than a month. Flight UA84 departed from Newark Liberty International Airport in New York on Thursday and landed at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Friday. United Airlines suspended its operations in Israel on May 4 after a missile fired from Yemen by the Houthi group exploded near Ben Gurion Airport. The incident prompted several international airlines to suspend flights to the country, with only a few having since resumed service. Among those resuming operations is Latvia's national airline, airBaltic, which completed a flight from Riga International Airport to Tel Aviv on Friday.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Company that worked on ArriveCan app barred from government contracts for 7 years
OTTAWA - Ottawa says it has banned the largest contractor that worked on the ArriveCan app from entering into contracts or real property agreements with the government for seven years. Public Services and Procurement Canada has announced that GC Strategies Inc. has been deemed 'ineligible' after an assessment of the supplier's conduct. Last year, the department suspended the security status of GC Strategies, which the auditor general says was awarded more than $19 million for the project. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW That move followed an earlier decision to suspend the company from procurement processes within the department. The government also barred two other companies that contributed to the ArriveCan project, Dalian Enterprises and Coradix Technology Consulting, from participating in procurement opportunities. The federal government launched the app in April 2020 as a way to track health and contact information for people entering Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to digitize customs and immigration declarations. A report by Canada's Auditor General Karen Hogan found the government's record-keeping was poor and its reliance on outside contractors allowed the cost of the project to balloon to $60 million. The first ArriveCan contract was initially valued at just $2.35 million. On Tuesday, Hogan is set to deliver an audit focusing on whether the contracts awarded and the payments made to GC Strategies and other incorporated companies were 'in accordance with applicable policy instruments' and were good value for money. Public Services and Procurement Canada says the government continues to take action to 'strengthen the integrity of the procurement process.' The Canadian Press has reached out to GC Strategies and to Public Services and Procurement Canada for comment. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth was ordered to appear before the bar of the House of Commons last year after refusing to answer questions at a committee hearing. Firth was grilled by MPs for two hours, though Liberals opted out of questioning after a doctor's note provided to the clerk of the House recommended that he not appear because of mental-health issues. GC Strategies did not develop or manage the ArriveCan app, but it was tasked by the federal government to assemble a team to complete some parts of the project. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Alberta resumes buying U.S. alcohol, months after pause meant to fight tariffs
EDMONTON – Alberta is buying American alcohol and gambling machines again, three months after Premier Danielle Smith announced restrictions aimed at fighting back against U.S. tariffs. Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally says the move signals a 'renewed commitment to open and fair trade' with the United States. Smith said in March that the province would no longer buy U.S. alcohol and video lottery terminals, or sign contracts with American companies. That came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped heavy tariffs on Canadian goods and energy. Nally says the decision to resume buying U.S. alcohol and gambling machines 'sets the stage for more constructive negotiations' ahead of a renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement. The minister says Albertans are encouraged to continue supporting local producers, even as more U.S. options return to store shelves. Nally said in April that the province was pausing its policy around procurement from U.S. companies 'in the spirit of diplomacy.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. He said since the province's retaliatory measures were first announced in early March, the Trump administration had put a hold on further tariffs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
