Donald Trump’s bombastic presence and pronouncements have now found their way into the heart of Canada’s governing cabinet.
(Before going any farther, please be aware that there is no truth to the rumours that Canada will build a wall along the the 49th parallel if Trump is elected in the fall. Ain’t going to happen. It’s a joke.)
Anyway.
Earlier this week Trump, who officially accepted his nomination as the Republican Party candidate in Cleveland Thursday night, shared some foreign policy ideas with the New York Times.
Saying that some NATO members aren’t spending enough on defence and are relying on the United States to protect them, Trump said that will change if he is elected president.
The U.S. he said, would not automatically come to the aid of its allies.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, responded, calling Trump’s comments “not helpful.”
Citing Canada’s recent promise to lead a NATO force in Latvia and its role in the fight against the ISIL, Sajjan defended Canada’s military contributions and NATO, saying Ottawa is pulling its weight and has “nothing to embarrassed about.”
Canada currently spends less than one per cent (.99 per cent, up from .98 per cent in 2015) of its gross domestic product on defence.
That’s well below NATO’s two per cent bench mark and ranks Canada 23rd out of 28 member countries,
With CP and CBC files.
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