Canada

Actively working to separate us from the US? He may be working to diversify on trade, but not on security policy, and the approach being taken for negotiations around the trade war is to frame us as a security ally instead of an economic competitor. We've ramped up military spending in accordance with US demands and the bills around border security, immigration and information sharing are moves to align us more closely with US national security policies.

We are actually positioning in ways very much aligned with US global security strategy. Our defence investments are in the Arctic, not our southern border. Our new international defence agreements heave been on two fronts, one forming a line against Russia from Ukraine through the Baltics and across the Arctic, and the other surrounding China. Our defense investment is totally in alignment with US strategy on burden sharing and demands that allies increase their investment in revitalizing their own defense industrial bases to shoulder more burden for coming wars.

Are we materially doing anything that indicates positioning to protect ourselves from the US in terms of security? The Gripens use American engines and the US can impose export bans on those if they want, and their advantages are in Arctic performance and for fighting Russia, not the US. To me, that all really just looks like it's a domestic economic stimulus move that fits in with US continental security strategy while also working as stimulus for SAAB aligned with US demands that Europe reindustrialize their defence manufacturing capabilities.

Have we said anything on Venezuela? Nope. We rushed to stand behind Trump in Egypt to back the "ceasefire" plan legitimizing ethnic cleansing and we take no material actions against Israel. We don't actually do anything to stand up against US violations of international law, and Carney himself penned an essay in The Economist that laid out how we're moving away from universal multilateral institutions like the UN and going to a system where we essentially pay to play as part of American-led initiatives.

Of course, there's also the AI investment from Microsoft and Evan Salomon backing Microsoft's massive investment in AI data center development in Canada with the idea that this will power AI use in Canadian public service, and that Microsoft will operate a new cybersecurity initiative in Ottawa that will work with the Federal Government on that. Seems a lot more like deepening integration than independence imo.

Let's see what 2026 brings, but so far I would say there are many actions that suggest we are actually deepening alignment with the US on security strategy even as we're diversifying economically.