Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the amount of military aid NATO allies have been shipping to Ukraine to help its fight against Russia’s invasion means “everyone is in big trouble” with military supplies.
“We have stayed strong at a time where bigger countries and countries that play by different rules have tried really hard to impact us. And we’re continuing to defend ourselves in all the right ways,” Trudeau told Global News Ottawa bureau chief Mercedes Stephenson in a year-end interview that airs at 11 a.m. ET on Dec. 24.
Stephenson pressed Trudeau on whether Canada is maintaining the 30-day supply of ammunition it is required to have under the terms of NATO agreements.
Trudeau replied that Canada is not alone in struggling to maintain munitions.
“Everyone is in big trouble because we have been shipping, all of us as NATO’s allies, shipping massive amounts of ammunition to Ukraine right now because Ukraine is on the front line of defending not just their own territory, but their international rules-based order,” Trudeau said.
There has been no shortage of geopolitical challenges, including allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections from China, Russia and Iran, and the prime minister accusing agents of the Indian government in having a role in the murder of Canadian Sikh-independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C.
Meanwhile, the Ukraine-Russia war is nearing the end of its second year, while the Israel-Hamas conflict reignited with the Oct. 7 attacks.
Trudeau said Canada must “double down” on democratic values and the rules-based international order amid global challenges to both.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre has not been shy in sharing his concerns about Canada’s military readiness during these tumultuous times.
“We have much to do to get our readiness back to where it needs to be,” Eyre said in a Nov. 11 interview with Global News. “We are not insular here in this country. Events around the world can directly impact our security.”
Canada is still not hitting the NATO defence spending target of two per cent of GDP, and plans to cut $1 billion from defence spending.
Trudeau defended his government’s military spending and said Canada is contributing $38 billion to NORAD modernization and purchasing a fleet of F-35 fighter jets after putting initial plans for the purchase on ice in 2015.
– With files from Global News’ Naomi Barghiel and Sean Previl.