The image is a map of the United States showing the presence of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in the country. At the top, there's a caption that reads: "Canadian Armed Forces in the U.S." Photo: Yves Engler/File photo.
By Yves Engler – Mar 20, 2025
A contradiction: Donald Trumpâs annexation threats have ever more Canadians fearful of the country to our south; simultaneously, those tasked with âdefendingâ Canada seek to bolster the US military.
Polls show Canadian attitudes towards the US have declined precipitously in response to Trumpâs insults, border musing and annexation threats. Thirty percent of Canadians now see the US as an âenemyâ nation. Attitudes towards the US are now on par with longstanding official enemies Russia and China.
But, as hostility to the US grows, the Canadian military leadership is deepening its support for the US. Last Friday the Ottawa Citizen reported, âCanadaâs military leadership is pushing for yet another sole source deal for American equipment despite U.S. President Donald Trumpâs vow to economically damage this country and eventually annex it as the 51st state.â
The military leadership justifies its support for the US on the grounds theyâve previously assisted the US. In a recent column Alex McColl, author of CF-39 Arrow II: A Swedish Solution to the CF-18 Replacement Problem, highlights the self-perpetuating cycle of US dependence promotion. At the end of February, he writes, a âsenior RCAF [Royal Canadian Air Force] officer argued that we had to keep the F-35 because it works with the Boeing P-8. The RCAF had previously argued that we had to sole source the Boeing P-8 because it works with the F-35.â
Fortunately, thereâs a brewing pushback to the militaryâs promotion of the US empire. New Prime Minister Mark Carney recently said he would reevaluate purchasing 88 F-35s from Lockheed Martin. The Bloc Quebecois and Conservatives have basically echoed the government position on the fighter jet while the NDP said Canada should cancel the F-35 deal and its contract for 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Aircraft.
But if we take the Trump threats seriously, we should go further. All the Canadian militaryâs major procurement from the US should be reviewed.
Pro-military voices have made that point indirectly. In rejecting the NDPâs call to revisit the F-35 deal, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs Professor Philippe LagassĂŠ told CBC the US could âprobablyâ prevent upgrades or new parts for Canadaâs offensive fighter jets, but the âentire armed forces has this problem.â Former F-35 test pilot and retired lieutenant-colonel Billie Flynn echoed LagassĂŠ. âThere is nothing unique about the vulnerability of the F-35â, Flynn noted. âRemember that every missile that we own and fire on the CF-18s and all our frigates, all our offensive weapons are American and necessarily the United States government has control over whatâs loaded into the latest version.â
Canadaâs military is desperate to avoid this discussion. According to retired Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, âsenior officers are likely terrified by the perceived abandonment of their USAF [United States Air Force] relationshipsâ thatâs been caused by questioning the F-35 purchase. The RCAF leadership is facing a âcrisis of identityâ, adds Norman, since they have âa cultural bias towards the USAFâ.
Canadaâs Navy Sails With US Ships as Trump Talks Annexation
About 10% of Canadians say they support US annexation. Itâs likely multiple times greater in the military, particularly among its largely US-trained leadership.
Which raises an important question. Is Canadaâs military leadership so integrated with the US military that it should be considered a fifth column? (Any student of US foreign policy knows US-trained military officers have been involved in dozens of Washington friendly coups.)
While it may be unfair to question the loyalty of Canadaâs military leadership, what we do know for certain it that the depth of the Canada-US military alliance is such that if US forces attacked this country it would be extremely difficult for the Canadian Forces to defend this country. In fact, given its entanglements with their southern counterparts the Canadian Forces would likely enable a US invasion. As with the 2003 invasion of Iraq â which Ottawa officially opposed â some Canadian troops on exchange in the US might march north and, as is the norm when the US invades another country, Canadian officers would likely operate NORAD systems aiding the aggression.
Another certainty is that the USA is the only nation that could realistically invade Canada. But the âdefenceâ sector ignores US threats because it is not oriented towards protecting Canada from aggression. Rather, Canadaâs âdefenceâ community is aligned with the US Empireâs quest for global domination. From naval patrols to special forces deployments, research initiatives to wars, the Canadian Forces function largely as an appendage of their southern neighbourâs enormous killing machine.
Will the military leadership turn the ship around or should anti-Trump nationalists, push to defund/recreate Canadaâs military?
Yves Engler
Yves Engler is Montreal-based writer and political activist. In addition to ten published books, Engler's writings have appeared in the alternative press and in mainstream publications such as The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, and Ecologist.
