Karina Gould vows to meet NATO defence pledge by 2027

Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould makes an announcement in Ottawa, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould is vowing to ramp up defence spending to meet NATO’s target by 2027.

Gould says she would hike salaries in the Canadian Armed Forces and appoint a “procurement czar” to speed up backlogged purchasing.

Her comments come just a day after rival candidate Mark Carney pledged to meet NATO’s target for allies' defence spending — two per cent of national GDP — by the end of the decade, although he did not provide a plan.

Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland’s camp suggested Thursday she will commit to meeting the target by 2027.

Canada has committed to eventually meeting NATO’s military spending benchmark but has failed to meet the target.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to reach the spending benchmark by 2032.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2025.