A Canadian sniper team from the 3RCR Battle Group ascend to an overwatch position in Afghan mountains west of Kabul during a 2002 NATO reconnaissance operation. (STEPHEN J. THORNE)

Canada, NATO and the vociferous protests of American senators

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Canada’s military is facing shortcomings nearing crisis proportions, of that there is no doubt. But should Canadians get their knickers in a knot over Ottawa’s failure to meet NATO’s arbitrary military spending benchmark of two per cent of gross domestic product?

Perhaps not.

At 1.33 per cent of GDP, Canada’s defence spending is well below NATO’s expectations, placing it 27th among the alliance’s 32 members—only 11 of whom met the two per cent threshold in 2023. In terms of actual dollar amount spent on its military, Canada—a founding member of the alliance—ranks seventh.

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Charles Perry Stacey. (WIKIMEDIA)

A Canadian chronicler: The life and legacy of C.P. Stacey

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

On July 30, 1906, a Canadian storyteller’s story began.

Born and raised in Toronto, Charles Perry Stacey—better known as C.P. Stacey—showcased a passion for history from an early age. It was destined to be the same passion he would carry forth into his later professional life.

Between 1933 and 1940, Stacey, an academic working at Princeton University, put pen to paper. The resulting publications would garner considerable unanticipated attention.

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