On the eve of the federal budget, the House of Commons passed a motion calling for the federal government to increase its national defence spending to 鈥渁t least鈥� meet the NATO target of two per cent gross domestic product (GDP).

The motion was carried 303 to 27, with the Conservatives, Liberals, and Bloc Quebecois all voting in favour of it. The NDP and the Green Party鈥檚 two MPs voted against it. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has long called the target 鈥�arbitrary.鈥�

Conservative defence critic Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who sponsored the motion, said the vote outcome is 鈥渢roubling鈥� given the Liberal, NDP confidence-and-supply agreement.

鈥淗ow can our NATO allies be confident that Canada will continue to be a trusted security partner when NDP members of Prime Minister Trudeau鈥檚 NDP-Liberal government vote against the principle of meeting our NATO spending commitments,鈥� she said in a statement.

While not binding, the motion is symbolic leading up to the release of the Liberal鈥檚 budget on Thursday as they face mounting calls to boost military spending.

Several countries have increased their defence spending commitments in accordance with NATO鈥檚 2014 Wales Summit Declaration since Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has commended Canada for its contributions to the alliance but has asked all allies to 鈥�step up鈥� in light of the Eastern European crisis.

A new NATO report shows that Greece allocated the most in defence spending among NATO members in 2021, contributing 3.59 per cent of its GDP, followed by the U.S. at 3.57 per cent, Poland at 2.34 per cent and the U.K. at 2.25 per cent.

Canada, meanwhile, spent 1.36 per cent of its GDP on defence last year.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer told 麻豆影视 Channel鈥檚 Power Play that for Canada to reach two per cent, it would have to set aside between $20 to $25 billion per year.

鈥淏ecause GDP is growing, there鈥檚 inflation...That means that if you want to meet two per cent of a growing base you have to spend more and we鈥檙e far from that two per cent target as it is, so anywhere between $20 to 25 billion more per year, every year, to meet that two per cent target,鈥� he said.

Both Defence Minister Anita Anand and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly have indicated that Canada intends to bring more to the table but haven鈥檛 committed to a specific amount.