WASHINGTON, July 11,
2024 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau,
today concluded his participation in the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) Summit in Washington,
D.C., United States of
America. A cornerstone of transatlantic security for 75
years, the NATO Alliance has a critical role in upholding
democracy, peace, security, and the rules-based international
order. Today, the Alliance stands stronger and more united than
ever.
Canada was a founding member of
NATO in 1949. Since then, we have deepened our role in the Alliance
by participating in nearly every NATO operation. Since 2015,
Canada is among the top five NATO
Allies when it comes to absolute spending increases on defence. In
2017, we released a plan to ensure long-term, predictable funding
for investments in new capabilities like warships, aircraft, and
armoured vehicles, along with a strong focus on supporting and
caring for Canadian Armed Forces members. As we move forward,
one of the most urgent and important tasks we face is in the Arctic
and Northern regions, where the changing physical and geopolitical
landscapes have created new threats. To tackle these threats,
assert Canada's sovereignty in the
Arctic, and uphold continental defence, we invested around
$38 billion in modernizing NORAD, in partnership with
the United States. Building on our
continued investments, Canada
released Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for
Canada's Defence earlier
this year, which invests $73 billion in defence and security
over the next two decades, including significant investment in the
Arctic.
One of the main areas of investment identified in Our North,
Strong and Free was underwater surveillance capability. With
the longest coastline in the world, underwater surveillance
capability is crucial to Canada's
national security. That's why, at the Summit this week,
Canada announced its first step
toward the procurement of up to 12 conventionally powered,
under-ice capable submarines, and the launch of the process to
formally engage industry on this acquisition. This procurement is
an important step in implementing Canada's renewed vision for defence, and this
investment will help keep our three coastlines safe and secure.
Canada also signed a trilateral
letter of intent with Germany and
Norway to establish a strategic
partnership aimed at strengthening maritime security co-operation
in the North Atlantic in support of NATO's deterrence and
defence.
As we continue to implement Our North, Strong and Free
through further investments, Canada expects to reach NATO's 2 per cent of
GDP spending target by 2032. We have also committed to a regular
cycle of review of Canada's
defence policy, including a new defence policy update in 2028.
Through that process, we will continue to explore opportunities to
further increase defence spending in a manner that protects
Canada and advances our strategic
interests.
Canada and NATO have also long
recognized that climate change risks global stability, security,
and defence – including in the warming Arctic – opening a new arena
of competition that our adversaries are eager to exploit. On
the margins of the Summit, Prime Minister Trudeau announced an
enhanced trilateral partnership with the
United States and Finland,
called the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact). This new
partnership builds on the world-class expertise of our three
countries and will further strengthen our abilities to produce
best-in-class polar capable vessels. This increased co-operation
will ensure peace and prosperity in the Arctic and polar regions,
create good-paying jobs, foster scientific research, and help meet
emerging defence and security challenges. This partnership will
provide the basis for like-minded nations to increase their polar
capabilities to uphold international rules, norms, and standards in
the Arctic and Antarctic regions for generations to come.
Allies were joined by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr
Zelenskyy, at a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.
Building on Canada's longstanding
support for Ukraine, Prime
Minister Trudeau committed further assistance so that Ukraine can continue to defend its freedom,
including over $500 million in additional military assistance
funding. Our support is as follows:
- Committing an additional $500
million in military assistance to Ukraine, as part of NATO's pledge of long-term
security assistance for Ukraine. This includes almost
$444 million to Canada's
Department of National Defence to support the costs of military
equipment, assistance, and training for Ukraine's Armed Forces as well as over
$56 million for the NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package
(CAP) Trust Fund for Ukraine
to help rebuild the Ukrainian security and defence sector and
advance Ukraine's transition
toward full interoperability with NATO. Canadian funding through
the CAP also provides equipment for women in Ukraine's Armed Forces. These additional
funds complement Canada's existing
military assistance to Ukraine,
for a total of $1.1 billion this
year.
- Supporting the launch of NATO Security Assistance and
Training for Ukraine, which will co-ordinate the
provision of military training, equipment, and logistical
support.
- Allocating up to $389 million
to enhance F-16 pilot training through the Ukraine Defense Contact
Group Air Force Capability Coalition. Sourced through
previously announced military funding, this commitment will support
training for pilots in Ukraine's
Armed Forces as well as provide critical equipment to support
Ukraine's safe operation of
F-16s.
Canada also signed the
Ukraine Compact, a joint statement with G7 countries and
partners, that reconfirms enduring support for Ukraine's self-defence and deterrence
capabilities.
During his visit, Prime Minister Trudeau also advanced Team
Canada efforts to promote the Canada-United
States relationship. On the margins of the Summit, he met
leaders of the United States
Senate, members of the House of Representatives, state governors,
as well as American business leaders to strengthen our bilateral
partnerships, including to increase trade and investment, scale up
our cross-border supply chains, support our manufacturing sectors,
create good middle-class jobs, and accelerate the transition to
clean energy. Team Canada is
promoting and defending Canada's
interests in and with the United
States – working to build a better, fairer, and more
prosperous future for Canadians and Americans alike.
While in Washington,
Canada and the United States also marked a key milestone
in the negotiations to modernize the Columbia River Treaty. Our two
countries have reached an agreement-in-principle that will enable
us to draft the terms of a modernized Treaty that will protect
communities from flooding, advance clean energy, and promote
Indigenous priorities, including the environment. Canada, in partnership with the Province of
British Columbia, the Ktunaxa, the
Secwépemc, and the Syilx Okanagan Nations, will continue to work
toward a modernized Treaty that supports a healthy and prosperous
Columbia River Basin.
Throughout the Summit, the Prime Minister met with numerous
Allied leaders to collaborate on mutual priorities and reaffirm
Canada's commitment to
strengthening shared defence and security partnerships. Along with
collective defence and security, Russia's war of aggression against
Ukraine, and partnerships with the
Indo-Pacific and the European Union, there were also discussions
about the importance of countering the rise of mis- and
disinformation, addressing threats from emerging technologies,
strengthening climate change security, and integrating the Women,
Peace and Security Agenda into collective work. With fellow Allies,
Canada pledged to expand the
defence industrial capacity, including by encouraging joint
procurement of military equipment, accelerating the adoption of new
technologies, and more.
Prime Minister Trudeau also thanked the Secretary General of
NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, for his
leadership and collaboration over the past 10 years and wished him
the best in his future endeavours after his term as Secretary
General comes to an end this fall. The Prime Minister welcomed
his successor, Mark Rutte, and
looked forward to working with him to further strengthen the
Alliance.
Quote
"For 75 years, NATO has been a cornerstone of
transatlantic security – an Alliance united by the values of
freedom, justice, and the rule of law. As threats to peace and
security become increasingly complex, Canada and our government stand ready to step
up. As we wrap up this year's NATO Summit, we will strengthen our
work to defend peace, protect democracy, and build a better,
fairer, and more prosperous world for everyone."
— The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau,
Prime Minister of Canada
Quick Facts
- At the Summit, NATO Allies were joined by international
partners, including Australia,
New Zealand, Japan, South
Korea, and the European Union.
- In Washington, Prime Minister
Trudeau had bilateral meetings with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr
Zelenskyy, the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja
Kallas, the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, the Prime Minister
of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luxon, the President of the Republic
of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol,
and the Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom, Sir Keir
Starmer.
- The Prime Minister also provided opening remarks at an event to
celebrate the newly accredited NATO Climate Change and Security
Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) located in Montréal, Quebec, for which Canada is the host nation. Climate change is a
defining challenge for Canada,
NATO, Allies, and other partners, and CCASCOE will serve as an
international hub for cutting-edge applied interdisciplinary
climate change research.
- The modernized Columbia River Treaty will ensure continued
flood risk management and co-operation on hydropower for the
Columbia River, while incorporating important provisions that were
not considered in the original agreement, such as ecosystem health
and Indigenous cultural values.
- Seventy-five years ago, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in
Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949, establishing the NATO Alliance, of
which Canada is a founding
member.
- Current Canadian contributions to NATO include:
-
- Supporting NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central
and Eastern Europe through
Operation REASSURANCE. With approximately 1,500 Canadian Armed
Forces (CAF) members currently deployed, it is Canada's largest international military
operation. Canada has been leading
the NATO multinational Battlegroup, soon-to-be Brigade, in
Latvia since 2017. In July 2023, Prime Minister Trudeau announced the
renewal and expansion of Operation REASSURANCE, committing
$2.6 billion to a three-year
mandate, with up to 2,200 CAF troops continuously deployed.
- Deploying His Majesty's Canadian Ship Charlottetown to join and
assume flagship duties of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2
(SNMG2) as part of Operation REASSURANCE in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Royal Canadian Navy's involvement in SNMG2 demonstrates
Canada's continued participation
in NATO and strengthens military co-operation with our Allies and
partners in the region.
- Hosting the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of
Excellence, in Montréal, Quebec,
and NATO's North American Regional Office of the Defence Innovation
Accelerator for the North Atlantic, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- Continuing to support training and capacity-building efforts in
the Middle East under Operation
IMPACT, including through NATO Mission Iraq, which was set up under
Canadian command, and contributing to lasting security and
stability in the country.
- Providing CAF personnel support to the NATO-led international
peace support operation in Kosovo
through Operation KOBOLD.
- Since 2022, Canada has
committed over $19.5 billion in
multifaceted support to Ukraine.
This includes $4.5 billion in
military aid and equipment donations, such as Leopard 2A4 main
battle tanks and an armoured recovery vehicle, armoured combat
support vehicles, anti-tank weapons, and other arms and equipment.
Other assistance includes $12.4 billion in financial assistance,
$352.5 million in humanitarian
assistance, $442 million in development assistance, and over
$210 million in security and stabilization programming.
Related Products
- Backgrounder: Standing together with Ukraine through victory and beyond
- Washington Summit Declaration
- Canada, Finland, and the
United States joint statement on ICE Pact
- Statement by the Prime Minister on an agreement-in-principle
reached between Canada and
the United States on the Columbia
River Treaty
Associated Links
- Canada and the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization
- Canada-United States relations
- Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for
Canada's Defence
- NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence
- Canada's response to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca
SOURCE Prime Minister's Office