Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed that Canada and the European Union were actively working towards finalising a defence agreement, with the aim of signing the pact by Canada Day on 1 July.
“We’d like to see something concrete there by Canada Day,” Carney stated in an interview with Canadian national broadcaster CBC earlier this week, noting a “great progress” on the issue.
This diplomatic push occurs against a backdrop of increasingly tense relations between Ottawa and its traditional ally, the United States. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised Canada’s level of military spending and controversially suggested incorporating the country as “the 51st US state.”
Prime Minister Carney explicitly framed the prospective agreement with the EU as a strategic move to diversify Canada’s defence investments and reduce its overwhelming reliance on American military suppliers.
Seventy-five cents of every dollar of capital spending for defence goes to the United States. That’s not smart.
Canadian leaders are scheduled to attend a summit in Brussels on 23 June alongside leaders of EU institutions. The meeting presents a prime opportunity to formally sign the agreement, aligning with Carney’s stated July deadline.
The prospective partnership follows a template recently established between the EU and the United Kingdom. Earlier this month, both parties concluded a comprehensive Security and Defence Partnership facilitating cooperation across areas including peacebuilding, maritime security, cyber issues, and counterterrorism.
The Canadian initiative underscores a broader trend of like-minded democracies strengthening defence industrial collaboration amidst shared concerns over global instability and shifting international commitments.
