Canadian generals discuss military co-operation with U.S. as Trump continues to threaten Canada

Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby (right) meets with Commander, Royal Canadian Navy Vice Adm. Angus Topshee on March 21. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Vanessa /CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONSArticle content

As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to undermine Canada’s economic security, senior Canadian Forces officers are conducting business as usual with their American counterparts.

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Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan met with Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher Grady on March 20 in Washington to discuss defending North America as well as the Arctic.

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Royal Canadian Navy Vice Adm. Angus Topshee also travelled to Washington on March 21 to meet with Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby to discuss how to better integrate Canada’s maritime forces into American operations, particularly in the Arctic.

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The meetings took place as Trump vowed to further harm Canada’s economy and continued his threats about annexing this country. On Wednesday, Trump announced tariffs of 25 per cent on imported vehicles and parts and demanded that companies building cars in Canada relocate to the U.S.

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Trump’s latest salvo against Canada prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to declare that Canada’s previous relationship with the U.S. is dead. “The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over,” Carney said Thursday.

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Trump has also threatened more economic harm against Canada and the European Union if they work together to counter American tariffs. That prompted Carney to point out that Canada is a sovereign country. “We choose our own allies in Canada, we choose how we engage those allies,” Carney said. “So I take note of the president’s comment, I don’t take direction from it.”

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Trump appeared to soften his attitude towards the trade war with Canada on Friday after a phone call with Carney but U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the same day continued the attacks. He claimed Canada will lose in the trade war, adding “they just don’t have the cards.”

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When reached for comment, the Department of National Defence did not directly answer whether the fractured political relations between the U.S. and Canada would prompt a change in the number of military-to-military meetings.

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But DND spokesperson Cheryl Forrest stated in an email that the Canadian Forces has a long history of training and operating alongside U.S. military. “The strong Canada-US military-military relationship often serves as an important source of continuity during political transitions,” she added. “Canada shares many of the U.S. concerns about the evolving environment and will continue to work with the Pentagon to address strategic competition with China and Russia, and other defence and security challenges whenever it is in Canadian interests to do so.”