Prime Minister Mark Carney said discussions with Washington about Canada participating in the proposed continental air defence system are advancing as Ottawa unveils a new defence industrial strategy.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Feb. 17 that negotiations with the United States regarding Canada’s potential participation in the proposed “Golden Dome” continental air defence system are progressing positively.
Carney made the remarks in Montreal after announcing a new defence industrial strategy aimed at strengthening domestic production capacity and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers for military equipment.
U.S. President Donald Trump has branded the planned air defence network the “Golden Dome,” and Canadian officials have previously indicated Ottawa would consider joining the initiative. Trump has cited potential costs for Canada’s participation ranging between US$61 billion and US$71 billion.
“If it’s in the right interest of Canada, and I think there are certainly many scenarios where it will be in the right interest of Canada, we will be a willing participant,” Carney told reporters, adding that discussions are “going well” as the project remains under development.
He emphasized longstanding defence cooperation between the two countries, including joint continental security operations through the North American Aerospace Command. Carney noted that Canada is enhancing its contributions to NORAD, including plans to procure an over-the-horizon radar system.
“But we are also exploring the next phase of that defence with the United States,” he said, referencing emerging threats such as hypersonic missiles.
Carney’s comments come amid broader trade tensions between the two countries, though officials in defence and intelligence have described bilateral cooperation in those areas as continuing without interruption.
Responding to a question about remarks attributed to Trump suggesting Carney opposed extending the Golden Dome over Greenland, the prime minister said, “I apologize, I don’t recognize the comment of the president, it’s certainly not representing my point of view.”
Trump had previously posted on social media that “Canada is against The Golden Dome being built over Greenland, even though The Golden Dome would protect Canada,” a comment made in late January following speeches by both leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, became a focal point of geopolitical tensions after Trump suggested that acquiring the territory would enhance U.S. national security by facilitating deployment of Golden Dome components to counter potential aerial threats from Russia and China. The U.S. military currently operates Pituffik Space Base in Greenland in support of missile warning and defence missions.
The tensions eased after Trump said in Davos that he would not pursue annexation of Greenland by force and indicated a framework for a potential agreement had been discussed with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Canada has publicly supported Denmark and Greenland’s sovereignty. Ottawa and Copenhagen signed a defence cooperation agreement last week, and Canada opened a consulate in Greenland earlier this month. Plans for that diplomatic presence predated Trump’s return to office last January.
Carney’s defence industrial strategy outlines measures to expand Canada’s domestic defence sector and increase military exports. The announcement follows his pledge to meet NATO’s prior guideline of allocating 2 percent of gross domestic product to defence spending this fiscal year. NATO members agreed last year to raise the benchmark to 5 percent by 2035.
“The truth is, over the last few decades, Canada has neither spent enough on our defence nor invested enough in our defence industries,” Carney said. “We’ve relied too heavily on our geography and others to protect us. This has created vulnerabilities that we can no longer afford, and dependencies that we can no longer sustain.”
Original article
Comments