Canada's defense minister announced an increase in NATO spending to 2% of GDP by 2027

Canada will reach NATO's defense spending targets of 2% of GDP in two years, not by 2032 as previously estimated. The country's National Defense Minister Bill Blair said in a conversation with CBC News on Jan. 24.

"My goal is to do it as quickly as possible, and I'm increasingly confident that we can make it happen," he said.

Blair said that when Canada will be able to meet NATO's targets will depend on the availability of funding from the government.

Beyond that, the minister added that attempts to accelerate defense spending are not a result of Trump's comments.

"We have worked hard to accelerate that spending to get the job done as quickly as possible. This is in Canada's national interest, not just a response to threats from someone we have always considered our closest ally and friend," Blair said.

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A day earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was unsure whether to continue sponsoring NATO as America defends alliance members and receives no help in return. He also repeated his statement that NATO should raise defense spending from 2 percent to 5 percent of WFP.

On the same day, Donald Trump called the trade relationship with Canada a deficit of about $200-250 billion and promised to change the situation. According to him, the US does not need to import any goods from Canada, including oil.

At the same time, the Al Jazeera TV station reported that Canadian experts spoke about the consequences for trade because of the US president's threats on tariffs. According to economists, Trump's promise to steer the country on a protectionist course creates serious problems for whoever succeeds Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Earlier, on December 11, 2024, Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the Canadian government was prepared to defend the national interest over Trump's claims that the country could become an "American state."

On Nov. 26, Trump said he would impose additional 10 percent duties on goods from China and 25 percent duties on all products from Mexico and Canada. He said China had failed to fulfill a promise to impose the death penalty on fentanyl traffickers, causing "drugs to flood" into the U.S. - mostly through Mexico - on an unprecedented scale.