Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, and CAE Inc. President and CEO Matthew Bromberg tour company facilities in Montreal on Tuesday. The Canadian Press via AP-Yonhap
MONTREAL — Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday launched a multi-billion dollar plan to strengthen the Canadian military and rely less on the United States.
Carney's announcement of Canada's first defence industrial strategy built on themes he has emphasized throughout his 11-month tenure as President Donald Trump rips through traditional U.S. alliances.
The prime minister says Canada has not done nearly enough to defend itself in an increasingly dangerous world and counting on U.S. protection is no longer viable.
"We've relied too heavily on our geography and others to protect us," Carney said.
"This has created vulnerabilities that we can no longer afford and dependencies that we can no longer sustain," he added.
Carney has become one of the most prominent global voices criticizing Trump's administration, notably after his speech at the World Economic Forum last month where he said Trump had triggered a "rupture" in the rules-based global order.
On Tuesday, Carney also addressed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's speech last week to the Munich Security Conference, highlighting what the Canadian leader sees as the widening gap between U.S. and Canadian values.
Carney, addressing reporters after giving a speech on the defence plan, pivoted to Rubio's speech without being asked about it. He cautioned that Trump's top diplomat had spoken of Washington's desire to defend "Christian nationalism."
"Canadian nationalism is civic nationalism" and Ottawa's mandate was to defend the rights of everyone in a vast and diverse country, Carney said.
Source: Korea Times News
