Prime Minister Mark Carney launches a half-trillion dollar defence plan to bolster Canada’s military sovereignty and counter dependencies on the United States.
MONTREAL: Prime Minister Mark Carney has launched a multi-billion-dollar defence industrial strategy to strengthen the Canadian military and reduce reliance on the United States.
Carney stated that Canada has not done enough to defend itself in an increasingly dangerous world. He argued that counting on US protection is no longer viable.
“We’ve relied too heavily on our geography and others to protect us,” Carney said.
“This has created vulnerabilities that we can no longer afford and dependencies that we can no longer sustain,” he added.
The strategy represents an investment of over half a trillion US dollars in Canadian security and sovereignty. It includes direct government defence spending of about CAN$80 billion over five years.
The plan also encompasses CAN$180 billion in defence procurement and CAN$290 billion in defence-related infrastructure through the coming decade.
Carney has become a prominent global critic of the Trump administration’s foreign policy. He highlighted a widening gap between US and Canadian values, referencing a recent speech by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Carney cautioned that Rubio had spoken of Washington’s desire to defend “Christian nationalism”. He contrasted this with Canada’s civic nationalism.
“There is a rivalry taking place between Canadian nationalism and other forms of nationalism,” Carney added.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce applauded the unprecedented scale of new funding. The group’s vice president said the plan will be measured by whether it produces a stronger Canadian Armed Forces.
The government is pursuing closer military ties with the European Union to offset the fragile security relationship with the US. Canada has formally joined the EU’s SAFE defence financing program as its only non-European member.
Carney also discussed hopes for new defence export opportunities in Asia, notably with South Korea. The goal is to build a domestic defence industrial base for security autonomy.
Canada should build “a domestic defense industrial base so we are never hostage to the decisions of others when it comes to our security,” he said.
The prime minister re-emphasised the need to enforce Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. Warming temperatures are opening new competition for critical minerals in the region.
The Sun Malaysia
