Canada and the new NATO

As the U.S. reduces its role, Canada should lean into becoming one of the principal architects of the new NATO. This is a chance to move from laggard to leader. There is, however, a danger in an increasingly European NATO.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, pictured in Ottawa Sept. 24. The American drawdown of resources from NATO, combined with a European willingness to assume a greater share of the burden, presents Canada with a chance that is both strategic and historic. We could step forward to occupy a significant, perhaps even critical, role in the functioning of NATO.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY JOHN MCKAY

October 5, 2026

SCARBOROUGH, ONT.—Those who have been in and around Canadian defence policy, will know the old saying that Canada never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

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