Hon. Clément Gignac: Last weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria, along with my colleagues, Senators Dasko, Patterson and Carignan. As members of the Economics and Security Committee, we had the opportunity to be updated on Russia’s economic and budgetary situation. It seems that the G7 sanctions are essentially ineffectual and that the Russian economy is doing very well thanks to high oil prices and growing trade with China and India.
Clearly, Russia has the military capability to sustain this war for several years, if necessary. However, according to the NATO Secretary General, Ukraine needs more ammunition and shells to defend itself adequately. Even if Canada were to send its entire stock, that would last for about three days of combat.
What is Canada doing to speed up artillery and shell production to help Ukraine?
Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question.
As part of Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence, the government has invested $9.5 billion over 20 years to accelerate the establishment of new artillery ammunition production capacity in Canada and invest in a strategic munitions reserve. Artillery ammunition is becoming increasingly difficult to procure abroad, and this production capacity will enable us to meet the ammunition demands of Canada and our closest allies, creating skilled jobs for Canadian workers for the long term and generating economic benefits for Canadian communities.
Senator Gignac: NATO member countries will be meeting in Washington this July. Government Representative in the Senate, Canada is one of the countries that isn’t meeting the 2% target, unlike two thirds of NATO member countries. Is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau going to reiterate his intention of meeting the 2% of GDP target and give a specific time frame?
Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. Canadians can rest assured that our government will continue to make the necessary smart investments to support our armed forces for generations to come. The government will continue to work with its allies to protect the safety and security of Canadians while respecting our fiscal capacity and our international obligations.