Canada will significantly increase army spendings due to war in Ukraine - defense minister

Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said that Ottawa "must and will" increase spending on its military. The main reason for this is the war in Ukraine.

Blair made this statement at the annual Ottawa Security and Defense Conference on Thursday, March 7, Reuters reports. The journalists noted that Canada is a NATO member and has not reached the target of allocating 2% of GDP to defense for decades.

Currently, the country spends less than 1.4% of its GDP on defense.

The head of the department noted that the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, and climate change are factors that make investment in the army more relevant.

"Canada must and will spend more on defense. We know we need to do a lot more," Blair said, adding that the Arctic "is becoming more accessible and geography no longer provides the security it used to."

Blair also said that both Russia and China have Arctic ambitions, and they have serious implications for Canada's security.

As reported, Canada is still studying the possibility of transferring decommissioned CRV7 air-to-ground missiles to Ukraine. The country's Defense Ministry is studying how useful these missiles are for the Armed Forces and how to transport them safely.

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