>>508684256We never actually made the commitment to 2%
When that was first introduced Harper outright refused it. NATO went ahead and made it a "joint declaration" without us, demonstrating exactly how much gratitude they had for us honouring Article 5 in Afghanistan.
I'm personally for increased defense spending, especially to secure our arctic sovereignty, but NATO can go fuck itself. We benefit in exactly 0 ways from contributing to the alliance and it's an open secret no European NATO member would ever step up for our defense. We already have bilateral security partnerships with the US, which we shoulder equally with them.
Paying out the ass for a grand Canadian land army to be shipped back to fucking Flanders in the event that Lithuania stubs it's toe is a waste of time and effort.
Canada has fought so goddamn many foreign wars on behalf of the US and Europe and for what? No material benefit, no gratitude, no remembrance. They turn on us or forget us entirely as soon as it's convenient.