A senior U. S. defence official revealed that the Pentagon provided Ottawa with a classified document detailing priorities for a collaborative North American defence pact. However, the U. S. official stated that Canada's response has been inadequate, creating friction in defence cooperation between the two nations. The delayed decision regarding the procurement of F-35 fighter jets has also been cited as a point of contention.
The U. S. official, speaking anonymously, stated that Canada indicated it would try to align with the U. S. position on defence. However, the Trump administration is seeking a more robust plan. The Pentagon is particularly interested in seeing how Canada plans to meet NATO's new military spending benchmark, and whether it will proceed with the purchasing of US-made F-35 fighter jets. The DOD wants Canada to have a clear road map to spending 3.5% of its GDP on the military, and an additional 1.5% on other forms of its defence infrastructure.
Defence Minister David McGuinty's office has not commented on the receipt of the classified paper or Ottawa's response. However, McGuinty’s communications director, Alice Hansen, emphasized Canada's "historic investments in continental defence, Arctic security, and military readiness". In 2025, Canada's national defence spending reached $63.4 billion, fulfilling its NATO commitment to allocate two per cent of its GDP to defence for the first time.
Hansen outlined planned defence investments exceeding $82 billion over five years, aimed at enhancing the Canadian Armed Forces' capabilities. While NATO members agreed to a 5% GDP spending target by 2035, Canada is accelerating towards a 3.5% target on core defence and optimizing an additional 1.5% of GDP for security-related investments. The U. S. is monitoring Canada's defence investment and will re-engage when it is possible to have a serious discussion about mutual security.
