Canada's Military Spending and NATO MembershipCanada is a member of the aggressive military alliance called NATO. The U.S. is the dominant member of NATO and demands and directs the military alliance to serve its striving for world domination and contribute to the U.S. war economy. All members of NATO are committed to spend two per cent of their annual Gross Domestic Product towards their own military. NATO headquarters estimates the Canadian government spends 1.31 per cent of its GDP on the military. For 2018, this amounted to CAD$29.206 billion. The Canadian government said its military spending is moving towards the two per cent target. NATO -- in particular the United States -- wants Canada to meet the target of two per cent of GDP immediately. For 2018, two per cent of Canada's GDP was $44.589 billion. Aside from expanding the aggressive capacity of NATO with greater member military spending, the increased amounts would further feed the U.S. war economy. Military equipment, in particular the expensive items such as warplanes, missiles and tanks are required to meet NATO standards. The U.S. sets those standards and in large measure they can be met only through the purchase of U.S. military equipment. The discrepancy in annual military spending in Canada between the actual 1.31 per cent and the demanded two per cent was $15.383 billion in 2018. The U.S. imperialist war economy wants that increased amount to be spent on big ticket items such as the U.S. made Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet that Canada has not yet purchased. Not meeting the agreed target of two per cent in military spending explains in part the anger of the U.S. President towards NATO members that he denounces as "delinquent" or, in Canada's case, "slightly delinquent." The U.S. President represents the interests of a dominant section of the U.S. financial oligarchy and the country's war economy and striving for world domination. Membership in the NATO aggressive military alliance is not in the interests of the people or economy of Canada, the U.S. or the world. Canada should immediately withdraw from NATO and all military alliances with U.S. imperialism, cease all purchases of U.S. military equipment and take measures to extricate the Canadian economy from the U.S. war economy and make Canada a zone for peace.
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