Photo: Kent Nishimura Getty Images ia Agence France-Presse Justin Trudeau lors du dernier jour du sommet des dirigeants de l’OTAN, jeudi, à Washington
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, announced Thursday the purchase of a dozen submarines by Canada. Their purchase price is expected to take the country to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military spending target of 2 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in eight years, in 2032.< /p>
He gave these details during a press briefing organized in the American capital, Washington, where the summit of NATO member countries was ending. His Defense Minister, Bill Blair, suggested during a panel on Monday that the purchase of new weapons would be announced shortly.
Canada has voluntarily committed to the other members of its military alliance to devote annually at least 2% of its GDP to defense. Far from the mark for the moment, the most recent federal plan put these expenditures at 1.76% of GDP for 2029-2030.
With the purchase of new submarines announced on Thursday, the increase in the military budget must be even greater than the approximately $175 billion over two decades that the Trudeau government has already promised since coming to power in 2015. These are “up to twelve” ordinary-propelled ships that will join Canada’s war fleet, intended for deployment to Canada’s three coasts: Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic. Their price has not been revealed.
The tense geopolitical context justifies the swelling bill for the Canadian Armed Forces, according to the Prime Minister. “It’s not just something Canadians are waiting for or our allies are waiting for. This is something the world needs. The world is a more dangerous, unstable place, with new geopolitical realities, with new conflicts emerging in unforeseen places. »
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000In a report published earlier this week, and contested by the government, Canada's parliamentary budget officer rather indicated that he did not believe the Armed Forces capable of spending their entire budget on acquiring new weapons.< /p>
Canada's most recent defense policy update, released as recently as last spring, did not include a bill for new submersibles. At most it was specified that defense had to “study the possibilities of renewal and expansion of [its] submarine fleet”.
Also icebreakers
In addition to submarines, Canada is working on the construction of icebreakers, the head of government also announced. The United States and Finland signed an Icebreaker Collaboration Pact with Ottawa, intended to pool expertise in building ships capable of sailing in the Arctic. The Davie shipyard, present in Lévis, Quebec, can hope to have its share of the contracts.
“Davie will surely be part of it, but there are negotiations and opportunities for other shipyards”, said Justin Trudeau, since this company took control of a shipyard in Finland formerly owned by Russian interests.
After the end of the question-and-answer session, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, took the initiative of going to the microphone to deliver her analysis of the geopolitical situation in which the country finds itself.
“Canada has long been blessed by its geography, unlike many NATO countries. What is different now is that we can no longer rely on this geography, particularly in the Arctic. And what our allies see now is that we are also investing in ourselves, in our defense, in our Arctic. Ultimately, Canada is responsible, along with other Arctic countries, for the defense of NATO's northern border. »
In defense of Joe Biden
NATO summit host, United States President Joe Biden, is currently facing demands from a fringe of his party to abandon the next presidential race, given his advanced age.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, instead reiterated Thursday his full support for the 81-year-old Democratic president. “Joe Biden’s leadership on issues of global importance in these moments of great consequence for the planet […] is extremely important. He is a leader with a lot of experience, but also with depth and wisdom,” he praised.
Liberal ministers and elected officials have spent the last few days meeting with senators, members of the US House of Representatives and the business community to highlight the importance of the Canada-US relationship.