Canada for deeper ties with Europe in defense

Canada is considering closer defense cooperation with Europe as concerns grow over the reliability of the US, according to Canadian experts.

"Canada's defense cannot rely solely on its bilateral relationship with the United States," said Erika Simpson, an associate professor of international relations at Western University in Canada.

"This could signal a more multilateral, balanced and independent foreign policy approach — an evolution that aligns with Canada's traditional identity as a peacekeeping and bridge-building nation," she told China Daily.

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney signaled that he hopes Canada will be able to sign on to a major European defense rearmament plan by July 1.

The plan projects that European nations will spend $1.25 trillion on defense over the next five years.

"Seventy-five cents of every dollar of capital spending for defense goes to the United States. That's not smart," Carney told the CBC on May 28.

Simpson said she agrees with Carney's view that Canada has become too dependent on the US military umbrella.

"This overreliance risks subordinating Canadian sovereignty to US interests, especially when American foreign policy diverges from Canadian values," she said Canada should develop greater self-reliance and strategic autonomy.

While a European pivot may align with Canada's diplomatic values, Simpson noted that there are real challenges to this approach. "Geographic distance limits immediate interoperability," she said.

Asked about US efforts to draw Canada into its "Golden Dome" missile defense programs, Simpson said, "I see it as both partnership and pressure."

'Fortress America'

"Programs like 'Golden Dome' — or what Canadians refer to more critically as 'Fortress America' — risk deepening Canada's entanglement in US missile defense strategies, which many in the peace research community view as destabilizing."

US President Donald Trump claimed on social media on May 28 that Canada is "considering the offer".

"I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State," he posted on Truth Social.

Simpson criticized Trump's remarks. "Frankly, it's offensive and condescending. It trivializes Canadian sovereignty and makes light of a serious debate on continental defense," she said.

A Canadian foreign policy expert said Carney's call for deeper defense ties with Europe signals a growing recognition that the US can no longer be counted on as a reliable ally.

Carney is responding to the increasing unreliability of the US as a defense and security ally of Canada and NATO, said Alistair Edgar, an associate professor of political science at Wilfrid Laurier University.

"Canada needs to identify with the European defense plan while also being serious about investing in its own defense capabilities," Edgar told China Daily.

While not advocating a withdrawal from NATO or North American defense agreements, Edgar said Ottawa is seeking to "rebalance how it sees the 'center of reliability and predictability' within NATO".

"In North America, it is not really possible to divorce Canada from North America defense, but it is less clear that Washington under Trump is an ally."

gaoyang@chinadailyusa.com