David Collenette: As NATO celebrates 75 years, the alliance is needed now more than ever

Those of us who grew up in the aftermath of that war were keenly aware of the existential threat posed by the Soviet Union over 40 years. There is no question that NATO, as a defensive alliance whose mission is to deter aggression that threatens its members, preserved a trans-Atlantic peace, allowing generations of North Americans and Europeans to grow up in prosperous and democratic societies.

Yet, in the past few years its relevance has been questioned by some, not only autocratic actors with their own geopolitical ambitions to establish a parallel world order, but also by some NATO leaders, like French President Emmanuel Macron, Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban and of course, former American President, Donald Trump.

Although his key supporters deny a victorious Trump in November would seriously undermine the Alliance, his various pronouncements give cause for concern. A change in the presidency would shift U.S. priorities to deal with the ascendancy of China, leaving more of the security burden in the North Atlantic for Europeans and Canada to shoulder.

Yet, the Alliance’s Strategic Concept document, NATO 2030, was one step ahead. It foreshadowed the same concerns with the increasing global reach of China, in effect accommodating the shifting American foreign policy paradigm. Strengthening NATO’s global partnerships, “especially in the Indo-Pacific” is a key topic of discussion at the Summit, along with the core business of boosting defence and deterrence and providing more military aid to Ukraine.

Also, of concern for both American political parties is the need to confront Russia’s increasing militarization of a warming Arctic, combined with China’s ridiculous assertion that it is a near-Arctic power. The ascendancy of Finland and Sweden as NATO members means that NATO’s sphere of responsibilities will also expand to confront these realities. Canada, as the second largest Arctic country, cannot ignore the growing security challenge, which will require significant allocation of resources and manpower to the region.

Defence spending is never an easy sell to the public, particularly in Canada where we have a history of being both a warrior nation that fought in two world wars and in Korea, and a nation of peace and diplomacy, much admired since the days of Lester Pearson’s advocacy and acceptance by the United Nations of deploying peacekeeping missions to various conflicts.

Voters know that defence spending takes away money from popular priorities for social, environmental and infrastructure programs, not to mention financial commitments to indigenous reconciliation. However, the threats to global stability by others should tell us that Canada must be steadfast in delivering on the 2014 NATO commitment to allocate 2 per cent of GDP to defence.

In the past year, public opinion for increased defence spending has consistently raced ahead of the government’s commitments to deliver. It is often forgotten that in 2014, when NATO members set the 2 per cent target, Canada’s military spending had sunk to just under 1 per cent under the Conservative government in power at the time.

The current Liberal government has significantly increased this to approximately 1.35 per cent, with a pledge to reach 1.76 per cent by 2030, but this is still far off the 2 per cent target. NATO leaders will be listening carefully next week to see if Canada will accelerate its commitment.

Many Canadians still question our role in NATO and the expenditures required to maintain a robust military deterrent. However, if we want global stability, we must convince a younger generation that NATO is as relevant today as it was when at its creation in 1949 and deserving of our support.