Canada faces fresh pressure on military spending as NATO chief eyes hard target

The head of NATO is raising the prospect of hard targets for military spending which could put more pressure on Canada to invest billions more on defence.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg today urged the military alliance's 30 members to recommit to spending at least two per cent of their GDP on defence.

He said they should set firm requirements and timelines for meeting the target, unlike when it was first set in 2014.

Canada has long lagged most of its allies on spending as a share of GDP, and refused to fully commit to the target.

Successive Canadian governments have instead insisted that the two-per-cent target is a guideline rather than a requirement.

But if other allies heed Stoltenberg's call, it would put real pressure on Canada to invest billions more into the military.