Despite domestic concerns regarding military funding, Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to join Europe’s trillion-dollar defence rearmament initiative to lessen European defence dependence on the United States.
The prime minister told CBC’s Power & Politics host David Chocrane on Tuesday that he plans to sign up for the plan by July 1.
“Seventy-five cents of every dollar of capital spending for defence goes to the United States. That’s not smart,” said Carney. “What’s better is if we spend more at home, if we have diversified partnerships.”
Carney went on to say that since he’s become prime minister a number of conversations have taken place with European partners to “become defence partners with them.”
“We’re making great progress on that and by Canada Day we’d like to see something concrete there.”
Europe’s rearmament plan would see participating nations spend $1.25 trillion on defence over the next five years.
The Prime Minister’s Office also confirmed it is engaged in ongoing discussions about Canada’s potential involvement in U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed $175 billion missile defence system, dubbed the “Golden Dome.”
A spokesperson for Carney said the discussions were part of Canada’s interest in bolstering North American Aerospace Defence Command, or NORAD, capabilities.
Trump announced the “Golden Dome” land, sea, and space missile defence system during a White House press conference last week, where he signalled that Canada was interested.
Trump responded to Carney’s interest in Europe’s rearmament program with a post to Truth Social, saying that Canada could participate in the Golden Dome to the “cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate” nation from the U.S.
However, Trump said the defence system would “cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!”
King Charles III first presented the plan for Canada to join ReArm Europe during his speech from the throne Tuesday.
The speech comes on the heels of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announcing that the military alliance will increase the spending threshold expected of members from 2 to 3.5 per cent of each nation’s gross domestic product.
“We are finalizing a plan to dramatically increase defence spending across the alliance,” said Rutte,
Rutte also called for an additional 1.5 per cent GDP be tacked on for defence-related items, bringing the total to 5 per cent, a figure that Trump has been advocating for since last year.
Carney responded to the increased spending calls by saying that Canada would boost spending but stopped short of committing to 3.5 per cent.
“I’m not a fan of picking an arbitrary number and then trying to figure out how to spend up to it. At the NATO summit, NATO partners are going to be asked to spend more, to do more, for mutual protection. We’re going to participate in that,” said Carney.
“We are going to have to spend more, sooner. That’s one of the reasons why we will have a fall budget, not a budget tomorrow, because we’re part of deeper discussions on the defence side.”
Canada currently spends roughly 1.37 per cent of its GDP on defence.