Tuesday June 24, 2025 | The HAGUE, NETHERLANDS [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Today at the NATO Summit in the Netherlands, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says that Canada will be “consistent with our Allies and supporting what is on the table at NATO”.
She held a media availability outdoors, and later another session indoors.
She emphasized that Canada will sign an accord with the European Union (EU) as a form of security defense partnership. She also emphasized how this will open supply chains “now”, allowing Canada to “compete on par with EU countries”, for greater economic security.
Anand said she wants to see global peace and the protection of citizens, following the rule of law order that has been in place since WWII. NATO was founded was enhance the protection of the north Atlantic but that mandate now reaches further. When at NATO, Canada thinks about the Arctic and North American security, said Anand.
Reaching two percent:
Prime Minister Mark Carney has already committed Canada to reaching a level of defense spending that is two percent of GDP, by fiscal year end (March 31, 2026).
Today Anand said “that is a big lift for Canada” and “it gives me great pride” to see Canada “standing with NATO”.
“It’s a target we’ve been striving for,” she said about Canada meeting the current request of NATO that all member countries contribute the two percent level.
“It’s good news for Canada on the global stage,” said Anand who has been Foreign Affairs Minister only since the Liberals won the 45th general election at the end of April.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Carney participated in an EU-Canada Summit in Belgium effectively as a warm-up to the NATO summit today.
Getting to 5%:
Meanwhile, NATO is talking about that level being rejigged to five percent of GDP, given what is seen as now a time of greater uncertainty as to safety ‘in a more dangerous world’ (a phrase many politicians have used in recent months).
Anand says “there are various approaches to get to a heightened figure”. Carney has mentioned numbers like 3.5% for regular military expenditure plus 1.5% for things like infrastructure that would enable military performance and efficiency.
Anand notes there are domestic economic stresses including housing, affordability and the cost of groceries. Carney has said a few times that there will need to be “sacrifices” by Canadians but he hasn’t given too many specifics (other than briefly a few weeks ago that things like breaks for first-time buyers might not last).
This puts a lens onto the next federal election in 2029 or sooner.
Middle East conflict:
Canada has helped about 500 Canadians leave the Middle East including 100 from Jordan today. All Canadians are encouraged to register with Global Affairs Canada.
She pointed out that Canada hasn’t had diplomatic relations with Iran since 2012.
This follows a period of heightened uncertainty as Iran and Israel swap missiles and deal with US President Trump’s insistence on a ceasefire between those two countries (after exercising US military might on June 21).
Anand’s counterpoint in the Trump administration is Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
===== RELATED:
- Dynamics of dismissing Iran’s missiles on US military base as tit-for-tat (June 24, 2025)
- Canada fosters strengthened partnership with European Union (June 23, 2025)
- Trump announces U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites (June 21, 2025)
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