Former ambassador says Canada has become 'laggard,' 'irrelevant' on defence spending

Former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Derek Burney is calling Canada a "laggard," and says the country needs to do "major work" on its defence spending if it wants to be taken seriously on other issues with the United States.

"If we expect to get any attention in Washington at all on anything, we've got to do major work on our defence capabilities," Burney told CTV's Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an interview airing Sunday. "I mean, it really is dismal."

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Canada's defence spending targets are facing additional scrutiny following Donald Trump's re-election as U.S. president. In the past, Trump has been critical of other members of the alliance spending too little, and even suggested earlier this year that if he wins back the White House, the U.S. will not protect NATO allies who fail to meet the target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence.

The Canadian government committed in July to reaching that target by 2032, following years of pressure from allies, including the United States.

But Burney, who also served as former prime minister Brian Mulroney's chief of staff and figured prominently in the original NAFTA negotiations, said Americans will not "wait for eight years," and Canada needs to boost defence spending "faster."

"I can't put it too negatively, but we are laggard, we are irrelevant, and we make no contribution that I can think of that is meaningful anywhere in the world today," he added. "That's a very sad commentary on a once-proud military."

According to the latest NATO figures, Canada is set to spend 1.37 per cent of GDP on defence in 2024. The Department of National Defence projects the figure will tick upward over the coming years, rising to 1.76 per cent by 2030.

In an interview with Question Period earlier this month, former U.S. ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft, who served between 2017 and 2019 during Trump's first term, also said "Canada can do better" when it comes to defence spending. Craft said the issue is especially relevant when it comes to the Arctic and collective deterrence against adversarial countries, such as Russia and China.

When asked by Kapelos whether he agrees with that assessment, Burney said, "Absolutely."

"I couldn't agree with that ambassador more," he said.

"In terms of our own interest, we have to give a higher priority to the Arctic, and I think we shouldn't wait for the endless and costly defence procurement procedures," Burney said.

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A recent report from the parliamentary budget officer states Canada would have to nearly double its defence spending to $81.9 billion per year if it wants to hit the two per cent target by 2032.

Burney told Kapelos the federal government should find efficiencies elsewhere as a way to boost defence spending.

"We need a very explicit effort at cost-reduction in the basic government in Ottawa," Burney said. "It has to happen, and the Americans are going to lead the way on this. So we should take our cue from them."

In his interview, Burney also discussed Trump's threat of a 10 per cent tariff on all imports, and calls from Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to oust Mexico from the trilateral free trade deal with the U.S. and Canada.

You can watch the full interview with Derek Burney on CTV Question Period airing Sunday at 11ET/8PT on CTV and CTV News Channel.

With files from CTV's Spencer Van Dyk