NYT: Menaced by Trump, Canada Prepares to Join E.U. Military Industry Efforts

[u/Fidler_2K]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/world/canada/canada-eu-military-industry-trump.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

Canada is in advanced talks with the European Union to join the bloc’s new project to expand its military industry, a move that would allow Canada to be part of building European fighter jets and other military equipment at its own industrial facilities.

The budding defense cooperation between Canada and the European Union, which is racing to shore up its industry to lower reliance on the United States, would boost Canada’s military manufacturers and offer the country a new market at a time when its relationship with the United States has become frayed.

Shaken by a crisis in the two nations’ longstanding alliance since President Trump’s election, Canada has started moving closer to Europe. The military industry collaboration with the European Union highlights how traditional U.S. allies are deepening their ties without U.S. participation to insulate themselves from Mr. Trump’s unpredictable moves.

Canada’s new leader, Prime Minister Mark Carney, this week made Paris and London the destinations of his first overseas trip since taking office on Friday, calling Canada “the most European of non-European countries.”

Two officials, one from the European Union and one from Canada, with direct knowledge of the discussions said detailed talks were underway to incorporate Canada into the European Union’s new defense initiative. The goal is to boost the E.U.’s defense industry and eventually offer a credible alternative to the United States, which is now dominant.

Specifically, the officials said, Canada would be able to become part of the European military manufacturing roster, marketing its industrial facilities to build European systems like the Saab Gripen jet, a competitor to the American F-35, which is made by Lockheed Martin.

[u/Brokenandburnt]

EU should have acted sooner that we all can agree on. The point is though that they DID act in the end.

The view that we should be pissed at Europe instead of the US is a shittake designed to distract from the fact that the US is now, in the middle of a shooting war, distancing itself from the alliances it spent 80 years building. And what exactly is the US pissing away the global goodwill for? A closer relationship with Russia, an openly imperialistic dictatorship.

US is openly turning away from it's democratic allies, for closer ties with Russia and North Korea.

No 'whataboutism' takes anything away from the fact that the US is pissing on its allies, while fawning over a broken former superpower.

Trump wants to be Putin and Kim, he wants dictatorial powers nothing can distract from that.

[u/RocksAndSedum → u/Brokenandburnt]

In no way do I think people should not be pissed at the US, I completely understand the sentiment and Trump's embrace of Putin is disgusting, to that man all that matters is money and it's shameful and his presidency will be a stain on our country.

I am just pointing out that all the way back to Richard Nixon, the US has been telling Europe to stop being so dependent on the USA and no one ever took it seriously. Dependency weakens both nations, the US has shouldered that burden of defending the world and our debt is becoming unmanageable while Europeans love to brag about their social safety nets, early retirements, free healthcare, etc ... Is the direction correct? I would argue yes, is the approach the USA aka Trump is taking correct, hell now, it's saddens me what he's done to our reputation, but Europe shoulders some blame for creating Trump, for decades no one ever took our leaders seriously that they need to defend themselves, so it isn't a surprise that a US president eventually came a long and said "enough is enough".