"Fostering Our Own Defense Industry
and Seeking Other Partners Worldwide"
Canada is reportedly pursuing a plan to increase the purchase of European-made weapons in order to reduce its security dependence on the United States.
Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada (left), and Emmanuel Macron, President of France. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
On the 19th (local time), the Associated Press reported that Canada is trying to increase its purchase of weapons, including fighter jets, from Europe.
Melanie Joly, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that Canada is overly dependent on the United States for defense procurement, saying, "Canada has been negotiating to work together (with Europe) on weapon purchases." She added, "There is a need to build a domestic defense industry," emphasizing, "We must invest in our own defense industry and seek other partners around the world."
Additionally, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney instructed Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair to reconsider the purchase of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets. Prime Minister Carney noted that whether more production facilities can be attracted within Canada will influence the decision to purchase European-made fighter jets. In response, Swedish defense company Saab promised in its sales proposal to allow the assembly and maintenance of Gripen fighter jets to be conducted within Canada.
Two years ago, Canada agreed to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets produced by the U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin, but has only completed the legal payment contract for the first 16 units. Canada's efforts to reduce its dependence on U.S. defense come amid an unprecedented deterioration in relations with the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed high tariffs on Canada and announced plans to incorporate Canada as the 51st state of the U.S., which sparked resentment among Canadians.
At the same time, Europe, facing conflicts with the Trump administration, is no longer able to rely on the U.S. for security and is moving to strengthen its own defense capabilities. The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU), set major goals such as building a pan-European defense market and fostering the regional defense industry in the white paper "Preparedness 2030" released that day.
President Trump has criticized Europe for "free-riding" on security within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance and insists that Europe must take responsibility for its own security. Furthermore, President Trump has shown pro-Russian tendencies, adding to the sense of crisis over Europe's security, which has worsened due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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