CBC Front Burner: Has NATO outlived its purpose?

Fiona Odlum — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 20:27:18 +0000

As the NATO summit wraps up in Washington, D.C., this week, Canada has finally committed to spending two per cent of its GDP on defense, as required by the treaty. But NATO is an alliance forged in a post-WWII world at the dawn of the Cold War. Is it still relevant in a modern, post-Soviet world? Or has Russia’s increased aggression in recent years given the alliance a renewed purpose?

Andrea Charron, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, explains how NATO got to this point, what could be next, and Canada’s role in it.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

To listen to the full interview, please visit Front Burner.

Globe and Mail: Poilievre would ‘work towards meeting’ 2-per-cent NATO target

Fiona Odlum — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 19:22:48 +0000

A leaked Pentagon document obtained by The Washington Post last year said Mr. Trudeau has told NATO officials privately that Canada will at no time meet the military alliance’s defence spending target. When this was reported last April, the Prime Minister declined to confirm he had made that statement.

Andrea Charron, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, said Canada should be spending 2 per cent of annual economic output on the military. But, she noted, Canada in recent years has committed to numerous major capital projects, including F-35 fighters, P-8 maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as nearly $40-billion over 20 years to help upgrade joint North American defences against airborne threats.

UM TodayNATO – UM Today

CBC Front Burner: Has NATO outlived its purpose?

Globe and Mail: Poilievre would ‘work towards meeting’ 2-per-cent NATO target