Mr. Robert Baines, CEO/President of the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC) presented to a joint RUSI-VI – Canadian International Council (CIC) Victoria luncheon meeting on Thursday 9 October 2025
With growing instability across the globe, and especially the war in Ukraine, Canada’s role in NATO has never held such importance. Indeed, Canada’s contributions to the Alliance, as Robert will discuss, are essential to maintaining our values and interests. During his talk, Robert will also focus on the many challenges ahead for the Canadian government, the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadians in general, as spending on defence increases from approximately 1.3% of GDP today to 5% by 2035. Overarching questions include “Where will the additional funds come from for defence?” and “What new military capabilities will Canada bring to the future NATO table?”
Robert Baines has been the President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada since 2017. In this role, he is focused on communicating the importance of NATO and its role in maintaining the international rules-based order to Canadians. The Association is a charitable non-profit which hosts events across Canada, publishes hundreds of articles online every year and engages young Canadians about NATO through social media. In addition, Robert is a regular commentator on NATO issues in the Canadian media and in 2023 he became the Chair of the Canadian Forces College Foundation, where he leads a dynamic board of business and defence and security professionals to support the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. Robert also holds a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and History from Trinity College at the University of Toronto and an MA in History from York University. He also serves in the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve and has been a member of the Canadian Armed Forces for almost 23 years.
