US President Donald Trump has announced big plans for a powerful air and missile defence shield across North America. But he can’t build it without Canada, and it’s still not clear if Canada wants to be part of it, reports Politico.
The massive initiative is dubbed the “Golden Dome” and is estimated to cost at least $175 billion. The system relies heavily on Canada’s cooperation. At the heart of the project is the use of Canadian Arctic territory to host radar stations and tracking systems vital for intercepting missiles from countries like Russia and China.
“Would it be helpful? Probably, but it’s not vital or existential,” said US Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, downplaying Canada’s role. But many defence experts and officials have argued otherwise.
‘What Canada really brings Is terrain’
The United States faces a serious gap in its missile defences in its northern flank. Missiles fired from across the North Pole could evade detection unless early-warning systems are placed deep into Canada’s Arctic. That makes Canadian cooperation critical.
“What Canada really brings is terrain,” said retired US Air Force General Glen VanHerck, former head of US Northern Command. “If we can position, or Canada positions, over-the-horizon radars further north in the Arctic, that dramatically increases the United States and Canada’s ability to see over the pole into Russia, into China and other places.”
Despite this, Trump seemed to dismiss Canada’s role when he announced the project on Tuesday. “They want to have protection also, so as usual, we help Canada,” he said.
But Canadian leaders are not rushing to join the effort. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has shown hesitation, urging the US to be careful and warning that Canada should not be taken for granted. “It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level,” he said on Wednesday. “But not — sure, one negotiates on this.”
Past tensions, present leverage
Tensions between the two allies have strained in recent years. Trump has accused Canada of taking advantage of US military protection and imposed trade tariffs during his previous term. In response, Carney’s government has looked to strengthen other global security partnerships.
Now that the Golden Dome needs Canada’s help with radars, interceptors, and airspace, Ottawa has gained new bargaining power.
Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar said: “There’s a lot we just don’t know. There’s a lot that needs to be revealed about how the economic and security partnership with America and Canada will unfold.”
Canada’s parliament has not yet approved funding and will not finalise its budget until autumn. It is also weighing whether to support shooting down ballistic missiles, a historically controversial issue in Canadian defence policy.
NORAD still central, but not enough
The two nations already cooperate on air defence through the long-standing North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), sharing radar data and conducting Arctic patrols. Ottawa is spending $38 billion to upgrade NORAD over the next two decades and recently signed a $4 billion radar contract with Australia, using British-built systems for Arctic surveillance.
Yet US lawmakers stress that more will be needed for the Golden Dome to work. “It will be very important where Canada decides to put its over-the-horizon radar,” a Republican Senate aide said.
Jack Reed, a senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was more blunt: “The president, because of his rhetoric, has alienated a large part of the Canadian population… It’s not, you know, good old Canada-USA.”
There’s still no final deal, and without Canada’s full support, Trump’s Golden Dome project is stuck. Despite this, Trump keeps pushing the idea of bringing Canada closer, even floating the idea of making it the 51st US state.
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