(Reuters) – Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday she would lay out “aggressive options” for defense spending amid the Ukraine crisis.
“My role is to bring forward a number of different options for our government to consider,” Anand told CBC.
Several European countries including Germany, Poland and Denmark have increased military spending in response to the Ukraine crisis.
In 2021, Canada’s defense spending was an estimated 1.4% of GDP, according to NATO. Anand said she would establish options that would mean defense spending exceeding, hitting or falling short of NATO’s target of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday he will travel to Brussels next week for a NATO summit focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Alistair Bell)
