Facing Trump’s threats, Canada shifts defense links away from US

VICTORIA, British Columbia — Faced with threats of economic punishment and annexation from the Trump administration, Canada has launched a series of initiatives to shift its traditional defense links with the U.S. over to Europe and other regions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly confirmed Wednesday to journalists that Canada has been in negotiations with European government officials about a joint defense alliance that would include joint procurement projects.

She noted the negotiations are at an advanced stage and were prompted, in part, by President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada.

Earlier this month, Trump levied a 25% tariff on a variety of Canadian goods . He has threatened to ruin Canada’s economy and has warned that the only way the country could escape such punishment would be to become the 51st American state.

Trump’s actions have caused widespread distrust of the U.S. in Canada and prompted the ruling Liberal government to forge new defense alliances, particularly with European countries.

“We need new partnerships,” Joly told the Canadian Press news service. “We have an over-reliance on American procurement, particularly in the defense sector.”

“The rhetoric coming out of the White House is not only concerning, but it is also a threat to our sovereignty,” she added.

Canada has not released details on the specific European nations it is in negotiations with or when those talks might be concluded.

But in a Monday news conference, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney revealed he has ordered a review of Canada’s purchase of the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet.

The Canadian government committed in January 2023 to spending $13.2 billion (19 billion Canadian dollars) for the purchase of 88 F-35s from the U.S. government .

Carney, who linked the review to Trump’s ongoing trade war against Canada, said at this point the country has only committed to purchasing the first 16 F-35s. He noted that he has had discussions with French and British government officials about whether they could provide an alternative to the F-35 and whether that aircraft could be built in Canada. In addition, he pointed out that defense relations were a key part of his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit Monday to those nations.

“Given the geopolitical environment, given the fact that there are options, given the need for value for money, given the possibility of having substantial production of alternative aircraft in Canada — as opposed to sending, as we have been, on average, 80 cents of every dollar to the United States — it’s prudent and in the interest of Canada to review those options,” Carney said at a news conference.

Canada’s Department of National Defence did not respond to questions about how long the F-35 review will take or what agency is conducting the exercise.

On Tuesday Carney announced Canada was strengthening its defense relationship with Australia by partnering with that country on a new over-the-horizon radar to monitor threats to the Arctic . The radar project is estimated to be worth $4.2 billion (CA$6 billion) and would utilize Australia’s Jindalee Operational Radar Network, an over-the-horizon system developed in conjunction with BAE Australia.

Carney noted the partnership with Australia will allow the system to be built and put into operation quickly.

In a televised news conference Tuesday, Carney said the new radar would help strengthen Canada’s commitment to the joint U.S.-Canada North American Aerospace Defense Command. But he also noted the radar will allow Canada to act on its own to better protect its territory.

“International institutions and norms that have kept Canada secure are now being called into question,” Carney said. “The United States priorities, once closely aligned with our own, are beginning to shift.”

Meanwhile, some Canadian defense industry executives have voiced caution about further angering the Americans, particularly with the possibility of dumping the F-35 deal.

“Canceling the F-35s might be a good idea, but we need to think about it,” Bombardier CEO Eric Martel said in a speech in Montreal on Monday. “We [Bombardier] have contracts with the Pentagon. Will there be reciprocity there?”

Rebecca Miller, director of global media relations for Lockheed Martin stated in an email that the company values its partnership and history with the Royal Canadian Air Force. She noted Lockheed Martin looks forward to continuing that relationship into the future.

Before becoming prime minister earlier this month, Carney voiced support for boosting Canada’s defense budget. But he also questioned the wisdom of Canada spending up to 80% of its military equipment budget on U.S. systems, particularly when the American government is threatening economic harm against Canada.

“We need to spend more of that money here in Canada,” he said in February.

Carney is expected to call a federal election on Sunday, multiple Canadian media outlets reported Thursday. The Trump administration’s threats against Canada are expected to play a major role in the political contest to form the next Canadian government.

David Pugliese is the Canada correspondent for Defense News.

加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省维多利亚市——面对特朗普政府的经济惩罚和吞并威胁，加拿大推出了一系列举措，将其与美国的传统防务联系转移到欧洲和其他地区。

外交部长梅兰妮·乔利周三向记者证实，加拿大一直在与欧洲政府官员就建立联合防务联盟进行谈判，该联盟将包括联合采购项目。

她指出，谈判已进入后期阶段，部分原因是唐纳德·特朗普总统威胁要吞并加拿大。

本月初，特朗普对多种加拿大商品加征了25%的关税。他威胁要摧毁加拿大经济，并警告说，加拿大要想避免这种惩罚，唯一的办法就是成为美国的第51个州。

特朗普的行为导致加拿大民众普遍对美国不信任，并促使执政的自由党政府建立新的防务联盟，特别是与欧洲国家建立联盟。

乔利告诉加拿大通讯社：“我们需要新的合作伙伴关系。我们过度依赖美国的采购，尤其是在国防领域。”

她补充说：“白宫发表的言论不仅令人担忧，而且对我们的主权构成威胁。”

加拿大尚未公布正在与哪些欧洲国家进行谈判的具体细节，也未透露谈判何时可能结束。

但在周一的新闻发布会上，加拿大总理马克·卡尼透露，他已下令对加拿大购买洛克希德·马丁F-35战斗机一事进行审查。

加拿大政府于 2023 年 1 月承诺花费 132 亿美元（190 亿加元）从美国政府购买 88 架 F-35 战斗机。

卡尼将此次评估与特朗普持续对加拿大发起的贸易战联系起来，并表示目前加拿大仅承诺购买首批16架F-35战机。他指出，他已与法国和英国政府官员讨论过他们是否能提供F-35的替代方案，以及这些替代方案是否可以在加拿大生产。此外，他还强调，防务关系是他周一访问法国总统马克龙和英国首相斯塔默期间会谈的关键议题。

卡尼在新闻发布会上说：“鉴于地缘政治环境，鉴于存在多种选择，鉴于需要物有所值，鉴于有可能在加拿大大量生产替代飞机——而不是像过去那样，平均每1美元中有80美分流向美国——审查这些选择是审慎的，也符合加拿大的利益。”

加拿大国防部没有回应有关 F-35 评估需要多长时间或由哪个机构进行评估的问题。

周二，卡尼宣布加拿大将与澳大利亚合作，共同开发一种新型超视距雷达，以加强两国的防务关系，该雷达将用于监测北极地区的威胁。该雷达项目预计耗资42亿美元（60亿加元），将利用澳大利亚的金达利作战雷达网络（Jindalee Operational Radar Network），这是一个由加拿大与澳大利亚BAE系统公司联合开发的超视距雷达系统。

卡尼指出，与澳大利亚的合作将使该系统能够迅速建成并投入使用。

卡尼周二在电视新闻发布会上表示，新型雷达将有助于加强加拿大对美加联合北美防空司令部的承诺。但他同时指出，该雷达也将使加拿大能够独立行动，更好地保护其领土安全。

卡尼表示：“保障加拿大安全的国际机构和准则如今正受到质疑。美国的优先事项曾经与我们高度一致，但现在也开始发生转变。”

与此同时，一些加拿大国防工业高管表示，他们担心进一步激怒美国，尤其是有可能放弃 F-35 交易。

庞巴迪公司首席执行官埃里克·马特尔周一在蒙特利尔的一次演讲中表示：“取消F-35项目或许是个好主意，但我们需要仔细考虑。我们（庞巴迪）与五角大楼签有合同。这方面会有对等的吗？”

洛克希德·马丁公司全球媒体关系总监丽贝卡·米勒在一封电子邮件中表示，公司珍视与加拿大皇家空军的伙伴关系和历史渊源。她指出，洛克希德·马丁公司期待在未来继续保持这种合作关系。

卡尼在本月初就任总理之前，曾表示支持增加加拿大的国防预算。但他同时也质疑，加拿大将高达80%的军备预算用于购买美国系统是否明智，尤其是在美国政府威胁要对加拿大造成经济损害的情况下。

“我们需要把更多的钱花在加拿大，”他二月份说。

据多家加拿大媒体周四报道，卡尼预计将于周日宣布举行联邦大选。特朗普政府对加拿大的威胁预计将在组建下一届加拿大政府的政治角逐中发挥重要作用。

David Pugliese 是《国防新闻》的加拿大通讯员。