Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Greater Victoria on Saturday.
Trudeau met with Duda at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, after Duda arrived in Canada one day earlier to discuss defence spending among North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members.
On Friday, while speaking from Vancouver, Duda said the West had “a lot of gaps” in its military aid for Ukraine. He says all NATO members should boost defence spending up from two per cent to three per cent of their GDP.
He didn’t single out Canada, but the country has been below that target for decades. In 2022, Canada spent 1.2 per cent of its GDP on the military, and the last time it spent two per cent was in 1990.
Poland is spending around four per cent of its GDP on defence, with concerns that if Russia succeeds in Ukraine, it may continue to expand westward.
Trudeau arrived in Victoria on Friday, where he highlighted the federal government’s $4.6 billion education package while speaking at the University of Victoria.
He also stopped by the CHEK Media Centre for a one-on-one interview, where he spoke on local issues, such as public safety and housing.
RELATED: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks decriminalization, housing in 1-on-1 interview with CHEK News
With files from The Canadian Press
CHEK News
