{"id":678458,"date":"2026-05-18T23:24:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/678458\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T23:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:24:17","slug":"u-s-says-its-pausing-long-standing-military-board-with-canada-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/678458\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. says it’s pausing long-standing military board with Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. undersecretary of defence for policy said Monday that the United States is pausing a long-standing military board, claiming \u201cCanada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments.\u201d <\/p>\n

In a post on social media, Elbridge Colby said his department is pausing the Permanent Joint Board on Defense \u201cto reassess how this forum benefits shared North American defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

The board was established in 1940 and is an advisory forum for U.S.-Canada bilateral defence co-operation.<\/p>\n

Colby said the United States \u201ccan no longer avoid the gaps between rhetoric and reality\u201d in the post, where he shared a link to a transcript of Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.<\/p>\n

Carney never mentioned U.S. President Donald Trump during the widely applauded speech where he described a \u201crupture in the world order.\u201d <\/p>\n

The address did garner the president\u2019s attention and following the speech Trump referred to Carney as \u201cgovernor.\u201d But Canada has not been the main target of Trump\u2019s ire in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

With geopolitical uncertainty heightened by the conflict in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz it\u2019s unclear what led Colby to announce the pause of the defence board with Canada.<\/p>\n

Carney has significantly increased Canada\u2019s defence spending, surpassing North Atlantic Treaty Organization targets. <\/p>\n

Canada spent $63.4 billion on national defence in 2025, meeting its NATO commitment to spend two per cent of gross-domestic product on defence for the first time. Carney has called it the \u201csingle largest year-on-year increase in defence investment in generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defence Minister David McGuinty said Monday that \u201cCanada and the U.S. have a long history of robust co-operation and collaboration on continental defence.\u201d In an emailed statement, McGuinty pointed to the array of defence investments Canada has made, including Arctic radar systems and the procurement of aircraft and under-ice capable submarines.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada will work with trusted partners who are ready to work with us, always remaining ready to come to the table for constructive discussions about the best ways to strengthen mutual defence and security,\u201d McGuinty\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n

The decision to pull out of the board after Canada surpassed defence spending targets is \u201cominous,\u201d said Fen Osler Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is also perhaps a shot across the bow as the government considers major procurement decisions on fighter aircraft and other programs where the U.S. is a contender with its F-35s,\u201d Hampson said in a text message to The Canadian Press.<\/p>\n

The Liberal government has yet to reach a decision on its order of F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. It has been the subject of a political review for more than a year.<\/p>\n

Earlier Monday, Colby posted on social media about meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra at the Pentagon. <\/p>\n

Hoekstra has warned that there would be consequences to the bilateral defence relationship if Canada doesn\u2019t go ahead with its purchase of 88 Lockheed fighter jets.<\/p>\n

When asked about the timing of the announcement and whether it was connected to Canada\u2019s deliberations over purchasing the F-35s, Pentagon spokesperson Tom Crosson said in an email to The Canadian Press that he didn\u2019t have anything additional to add.<\/p>\n

The Permanent Joint Board on Defense was set up under the Ogdensburg Agreement with then-president Franklin Roosevelt to manage the defence partnership between Canada and the United States. <\/p>\n

Hampson said it has been used to steer bilateral defence co-operation, particularly at the policy level, including the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defence Command, known as Norad.<\/p>\n

Hampson said the board also serves U.S. national security interests and the Trump administration is \u201cshooting itself (in) its own foot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Conservative leader Erin O\u2019Toole said he was disappointed by the U.S. move. <\/p>\n

He said the timing, following Trump\u2019s trip to China, was strange. O\u2019Toole, who recently joined Carney\u2019s revamped advisory council on Canada-U.S. trade, said Trump has long talked about China as a global rival, including around defence.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s role in the partnership around North American defence had been languishing, O\u2019Toole said, and faced criticism from multiple American administrations. Trump forced Canada to massively increase its defence spending, O\u2019Toole said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually think they\u2019ve had their the impact on Canadian dialogue,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you see the levels of public support for defence spending, for example, that\u2019s a sign that Canadians see that we were a free rider for too long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colby\u2019s announcement did not come in a vacuum. O\u2019Toole pointed out that it\u2019s likely connected the purchase of F-35 fighter jets and the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that common sense and cooler heads will prevail,\u201d O\u2019Toole said. \u201cAnd we can get back to probably the world\u2019s best partnership in terms of alliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2026. <\/p>\n

\u2014 With files from Craig Lord in Ottawa<\/p>\n

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

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