Donald Trump’s NATO comments ‘not helpful’, says Harjit Sajjan

OTTAWA – Donald Trump’s comments that, if elected president, the U.S. wouldn’t automatically come to the aid of allies are “not helpful,” Canada’s defence minister says.

The presumptive Republican nominee said this week that some NATO members aren’t spending enough on defence and instead relying on the U.S. to protect them.

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That would change if he’s elected, Trump told the New York Times.

“We’re talking about countries that are doing very well,” Trump said. “I would absolutely be prepared to tell those countries, ‘Congratulations, you will be defending yourself.”‘

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're talking about countries that are doing very well," Trump said. "I would absolutely be prepared to tell those countries, 'Congratulations, you will be defending yourself."'

While Trump appeared to be directing his comments at European allies, Canada spends less than one per cent of its gross domestic product on defence. That is half the NATO target and puts Canada near the back of the pack among the alliance’s 28 members.

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In an interview with The Canadian Press, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan defended NATO and Canada’s military contributions.

He pointed to Canada’s recent promise to lead a NATO force in Latvia and its role in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as proof the country is pulling its weight.

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“We’re stepping up in a much bigger way,” Sajjan said from Washington, where he was attending an anti-ISIS conference. “When you put everything together, we have nothing to embarrassed about. In fact, we actually can be very proud of the fact of how much we’re doing.

He went on to say the promise of NATO members automatically coming to each other’s defence is central to the alliance, which has been instrumental in helping bring peace and stability to Europe and other parts of the world.

“So those comments that are made are not helpful,” Sajjan said. “But I understand there’s an election campaign and that’ll take its course.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "So those comments that are made are not helpful," Sajjan said. "But I understand there's an election campaign and that'll take its course."