Prime Minister Mark Carney departs for NATO summit in Türkiye as defence spending tops agenda

Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to depart this evening for a two-day NATO leaders' summit in Türkiye. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will accompany the Canadian delegation. According to the Prime Minister's itinerary, the visit marks the first trip to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister since 2015.

Defence spending is expected to be the central focus of the summit as NATO allies face continued pressure from the United States to increase military investment. Leaders are also expected to discuss alliance security priorities and broader geopolitical challenges during the meeting.

NATO members agreed in 2014 to work toward spending at least two per cent of their gross domestic product on defence following Russia's annexation of Crimea. Canada has recently announced it has reached that benchmark. The summit follows commitments made by most alliance members at last year's meeting in The Hague to increase defence spending to five per cent of GDP by 2035.

Following the NATO summit, Carney is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia as part of his international visit. According to the Government of Canada, Saudi Arabia is Canada's second-largest trading partner in the Gulf region.