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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended Canada’s record on military spending Tuesday, saying the country has consistently shouldered a heavier burden than many of its allies when it counts the most.

NATO reported this week that Canadian defence spending in 2015 hit levels not seen in decades, falling to 0.98 per cent of gross domestic product. That is less than half the two per cent of GDP target that all NATO members, including Canada, agreed to in 2014.

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But documents obtained by the Canadian Press show the previous Conservative government never actually committed to meet that NATO target, which would equate to about $40 billion a year.

Instead, the Conservatives quietly pushed the alliance to recognize other “outputs” from Canada such as the contributions it has made to both NATO and non-NATO missions around the world.

Trudeau appeared to be picking up on that theme during a news conference after an unrelated announcement in Montreal.