Blair Says He Couldn’t Sell Canadians, Cabinet on ‘Magical Threshold’ of NATO Target

Defence Minister Bill Blair says it’s hard to convince cabinet and Canadians that meeting the NATO spending target is a worthy goal, because “nobody knows what that means.” Instead, he said on May 1, he’s tried to argue that Canada must do more to defend itself—and that will require more money. All NATO allies have agreed to spend at least two percent of GDP on defence. Canada’s defence spending amounted to 1.33 percent in 2023, according to the alliance’s estimates. Speaking at a conference on Norad modernization in Ottawa on May 1, Mr. Blair said he’s pushed for more since taking over the portfolio last summer....