Former federal spending watchdog Kevin Page says he remains unconvinced by the prime minister’s explanation of why Ottawa hasn’t yet shown the math for how it will meet its newest NATO spending commitments.

Page says Ottawa has been not sufficiently transparent about its plans, and must explain how it will go about significantly ramping up defence spending through to 2035.

NATO members met last year in The Hague and agreed to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035 — but federal fiscal updates have yet to chart the numbers that far out.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this week that if Ottawa had put out a plan last year, it would already be dated because of how quickly modern warfare is changing.

Carney also said the NATO alliance agreed the new spending targets would be reviewed in 2030 anyway.

But Page says the government can always adjust its figures as military procurement plans change, and pressure will ramp up if the figures aren’t included in the fall budget.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2026.