The previous Liberal government opted out of the shield in March 2005 over fears that it would spur a global arms race and lead to weapons being deployed in space.

But the senate committee opined in a defense report released Thursday that "there will eventually be weapons in space," despite Canadians' objections and that Canada should not be left out of the program.

Joining the shield would also help thaw relations with Washington, which cooled in recent years over trade rows and Ottawa's refusal to support the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, committee members said.

In their report, they described Canada's attitude towards the United States during this period, which was marked by name-calling and much anti-US rhetoric, as "immature."

"Whatever Canadians may see as America's problems and Washington's occasional errors in judgment, only an improved working relationship with the United States will bring Canada the security and prosperity its citizens want," the report stated.

The committee also signaled that the "scope and pace" of Canadian military spending would fall short by five-15 billion Canadian dollars (4.4-13.3 billion US) per year to meet likely security threats over the next decade.

Ottawa's projected annual military budget to 2012 is 20 billion dollars (17.7 billion US), or one percent of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP).

The committee urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government to double it to two percent of GDP, saying Canada is "woefully unprepared ... to deal with profound international and domestic change likely to mark the early decades of the 21st century."

Also, Canada's foreign aid budget is "shamefully low" and should be doubled to 0.7 percent of GDP to reduce "widespread poverty and bitterness that leads to wars," the report's authors said.

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