“In terms of defence and on the military side, I collaborate very, very closely with my US counterparts,” said General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, during an interview with Bloomberg TV. Her remarks came in response to a question about the reliability of the US as a defence partner.
The longstanding alliance between the two nations has faced renewed pressure after Trump imposed a 25% tariff on various Canadian goods in March. Canada responded with retaliatory levies, while Trump controversially suggested the country should become America’s 51st state.
The “Golden Dome” system, unveiled by Trump as a sweeping missile defence initiative, aims to shield the US from ballistic missiles, hypersonics and advanced cruise missiles. The president has pledged it will be fully operational before the end of his term, despite the unproven nature of its proposed space-based interceptors.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed last week that Ottawa is in the early stages of talks to join the effort. However, General Carignan downplayed concerns that involvement could provoke geopolitical tensions with nations such as China or Russia.
“This is mostly a defence posture,” she explained. “A lot of work is ongoing at the moment to increase our presence in the Arctic as well as domain awareness. We need to be able to see what’s coming.”
Source: Bloomberg.
