Canada’s NATO target plan unclear, PBO says as U.S. election ups stakes

Canada’s plan to hit NATO’s defence spending target remains unclear and the current forecast for increasing military spending is based on “erroneous” economic projections, according to the federal fiscal watchdog. The report from the parliamentary budget officer (PBO), Yves Giroux, on Wednesday comes just a week before the U.S. election, the outcome of which could have security implications for Canada.
Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has often complained about other NATO members who don’t spend the agreed-on two per cent of their GDP on defence, has warned that the United States may not defend allies who are not meeting this target.
He has also said he would “encourage” Russia to attack so-called “delinquent” NATO nations. The military alliance is founded on the principle of collective defence — that an attack against one member is an attack against all and will yield a joint response. “The government has not released any figures showing how it plans to meet the 2% target by 2032-33,” the PBO said in its news release… Source: globalnews.ca/