On April 19, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby announced the Pentagon would suspend participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD) with Canada to 'reassess' the forum's benefits. The PJBD is a bilateral defense cooperation mechanism established during World War II.
On social media, Colby wrote: 'A strong Canada that prioritizes hard power over rhetoric benefits us all. Unfortunately, Canada has not made credible progress on its defense commitments.' He added: 'We can no longer paper over the gap between words and reality. True powers must back their words with shared defense and security responsibility.'
This is the latest move by the Trump administration criticizing Western allies for over-relying on U.S. military strength. However, most allies reject the charge, saying they are increasing military spending and taking steps to improve regional security controls.
Last year at the NATO summit in The Hague, nearly every member state agreed to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, with only Spain requesting an exemption. Canada under Prime Minister Mark Carney also committed to this increase, with 3.5% for core military capabilities and the remainder for security-related costs such as port improvements and emergency preparedness.
U.S.-Canada relations have become strained under Trump's second term, not only over security. The U.S. president has accused Canada of pursuing unfair trade policies and failing to control flows of people and drugs across the border, though critics question the validity of those claims. To apply pressure, he imposed heavy tariffs on Canadian imports and has suggested Canada could avoid penalties by surrendering sovereignty to become the 51st U.S. state.
Republican Representative Don Bacon criticized the decision to withdraw from the defense forum with Canada: 'We need cooler and wiser heads to protect a close alliance with our neighbor. It all started with taunts like 'Canada will be the 51st state' and 'Their prime minister will be the 51st governor.' Insults bring nothing but hostility that hurts us economically and now militarily.'
The U.S., Canada, and Mexico are expected to negotiate an updated version of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) later this year.
