Anthony De Luca-Baratta: Canada cannot afford to pivot away from the U.S.

National Post

16-07-2025

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The American-Canadian alliance persisted after the collapse of the Soviet Union. When al-Qaida terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, Canada sent over 40,000 troops to America's aid in Afghanistan. When ISIS threatened the stability of the Middle East, American and Canadian personnel played a crucial role in defeating it.
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It's no coincidence that Canadians and Americans have fought, bled and died together for over 100 years. A world order that is good for America is also good for Canada. Disruptions of that order threaten the lives and livelihoods of Americans and Canadians alike. Crucially for Canada, it cannot maintain this world order without the United States. This is as true today as it was throughout the 20th century.
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It is this strategic reality, not the whims of the moment, that are guiding Carney's policy toward his southern neighbour. A loose autocratic axis led by China, Russia and Iran is disrupting the global order that the United States created and has worked hard to maintain since 1945.
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These countries also threaten Canada by funding terrorism that endangers Canadian citizens, interfering in Canadian elections, threatening Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic and disrupting global trade routes. Confronting these threats without America's help is far beyond Canada's military capacity — and will remain so even if Ottawa achieves its five per cent defence-spending target.
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Both Carney and Trump understand this. It's why Trump, with a crucial assist from Israel, destroyed key Iranian nuclear facilities with targeted airstrikes last month. It's why Canada continues to maintain a military presence on the Russian border in Latvia. It's why both countries want to modernize North American air defences. And it's why Trump recently promised to always defend Canada, despite his bluster about making it the 51st U.S. state.
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This is as it should be. From the trenches of the Western Front to the skies of Mosul, Canadians and Americans have fought to defend a world in which both their countries could prosper. For the sake of Canadians and Americans alike, the prime minister should ignore his short-sighted critics and stay the course. For Canada, America remains the indispensable nation.
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