“The pressure is on at the moment to reach 2%.  “We believe this is an arbitrary number and we do not support that number,” Singh said in an interview with CTV’s Question Period.
Canada currently spends about 1.39 percent of its GDP on defense.  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commitment, collectively agreed upon by all members in 2014, was to increase their military spending to at least two percent of national gross domestic product within the next decade.
“We do not need to come across this arbitrary number and we do not think this is the right approach,” Singh said.
Pressure has mounted on the Canadian government to increase its stake following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and talks on more sustainable development in Eastern Europe.  Both Secretary of Defense Anita Anand and Secretary of State Melanie Joly have stated that Canada intends to bring more to the table, but how much remains to be seen.
Earlier this week, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Zirou estimated that Canada would have to spend between $ 20 billion and $ 25 billion a year to achieve the goal.
The NDP leader said that while he did not believe that the size of the increase in defense spending was appropriate, his party supported the increase in the military budget.
“We know that the Canadian Armed Forces are called or told to do specific tasks and do not have the equipment to do so.  “So they have to have the equipment and that will require filling a gap where we have to fund them more so that they can have the equipment to do the job we asked them to do.”  “We support it, I have been supporting it for a long time.  We also know that we live in a more frightening world and people clearly feel less secure and we need to invest to make sure people feel safer.  And so that will mean some increase. “
The recently signed Trust and Bid Agreement between the Liberals and the NDP includes a commitment to support the government in all the vote of confidence and to support it in its annual budgets.
Singh said he was willing to have “close consultations and discussions about what happens next” when it comes to what the Liberals plan to spend on the federal budget, which is expected to be tabled next month.
“We will need to take a closer look and assess exactly what the needs are and what we can achieve in a budget. We need to look very carefully at what the needs are and what the gaps need to be filled immediately.”
The NDP leader also said he did not believe the deal gave him “veto power”, but rather “the ability to contribute”.
The government has already indicated that it will try to work with other parties on issues that Singh’s parliamentary group cannot ignore.  In this case, the Conservatives called on Trinto to increase Canada’s defense spending to hit NATO target, so that it could be a path the Minority Liberals could explore if the budget included a huge new military-economic commitment. .
“There is still time for the government to do that, to include this crucial two percent.  We see now, as the Putin regime begins its course across Europe, that we must honor our commitment both to the image of global security and to making sure that we are ready to protect ourselves at home here.  “It’s time to dump her and move on.”
“One of the problems we’ve seen with some of the commitments in recent years regarding supplies, and we heard from the PBO, that they are loaded … But we need planes, we need ships, we need vehicles, we need weapons now.  “And that is exactly what we need to do to support our allies in NATO, but also to support our allies in Ukraine.”
Avoiding any direct comment on what the defense budget might or may not include, Foreign Secretary Rob Olifand, Parliamentary Secretary, said he believed the current Canadian debate on the role should be play the country, how much money should be spent on the army, and how it will be paid is important.
“They are looking at domestic support, they are looking at international commitment, humanitarian, diplomatic, defense, and this is a discussion that Canadians need to have.  “And I’m glad we have it,” said Oliphant.  “I think the Canadians are proposing that we do more, and the Liberal government is listening.  Stay tuned.”