Trudeau defends Canada’s defence spending, but says still more to do

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending Canada’s defence spending levels as he wraps up a three-day visit to Ukraine and Poland.

Trudeau says Canada is the seventh-largest contributor to defence of all 31 NATO allies, but he acknowledges there is still more to do.

He met on Monday with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who says it’s essential that the western world rise to meet the global threat posed by Russia.

Tusk says he’s convinced every NATO member will “sooner or later” reach the spending levels necessary to mount a proper defence.

He also describes Canada as being among the most valuable and essential allies to Europe and Poland.

Trudeau, who spent Saturday in Kyiv reaffirming Canada’s support for Ukraine, met earlier with Tusk and President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.

It’s Trudeau’s first visit to the Polish capital since a political sea change in the country late last year ended eight years of national conservative rule.

Tusk, who also served as prime minister from 2007-14, is a centrist who took office in December and has been working to strengthen ties with the rest of Europe.

Duda, meanwhile, stands on the other side of the political divide — a conservative leader who now finds himself contending with a very different government.

The meetings focused on the dangers facing Ukraine and the importance of the NATO alliance, the primary bulwark between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the rest of Europe.

Canada is under renewed pressure to spend two per cent of its gross domestic product on defence — a NATO-mandated target most other allies are expected to hit by the end of the year.

Canada’s spending hovers around 1.3 per cent of GDP.

Both Canada and Poland have rallied around Ukraine as the