【By Observer News, Qi Qian】

Regarding the "divorce" from the United States, the Canadian government has taken a firm stance, even vowing to be independent in the defense sector.

On February 17 local time, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Canada will invest billions of Canadian dollars in defense over the next decade as part of a strategy to shift more defense spending toward domestic companies rather than American contractors.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Bloomberg, the strategy is called "Build, Partner, Buy."

Under the plan, Canada will prioritize purchasing from domestic defense manufacturers; if this is not feasible, the next step will be to procure equipment through partnerships with allies, attracting investment and intellectual property into Canada.

"We will only turn to foreign sources after exhausting these options," said Trudeau, "and even then, we will ensure maximum benefits are returned to Canada throughout the value chain, including through modernized industrial and technological benefit systems."

This strategy outlines plans to designate selected Canadian defense companies as strategic partners and build sovereign supply chains in areas such as aerospace, ammunition, and drones. A key commitment is to increase the percentage of defense procurement awarded to Canadian companies from about 30% to 70%. Bloomberg noted that this represents a significant shift for Canada, which has long relied on American suppliers.

According to Trudeau, Canada will spend 180 billion Canadian dollars directly on military procurement and 290 billion Canadian dollars on defense-related infrastructure over the next 10 years. This will generate 125 billion Canadian dollars in economic benefits and create 125,000 jobs.

He stated, "For decades, Canada has underinvested in defense spending and in the defense industry. We have been too reliant on geography and other countries to protect us. This has created vulnerabilities and dependencies we can no longer afford or maintain."

On February 17, Trudeau announced Canada's new defense strategy, Getty Images

Bloomberg reported that Canada's latest defense strategy is a response to the Trump administration's foreign and trade policies. In the past year, the U.S. has pressured allies to increase defense spending while imposing tariffs on its goods. These tariffs have hurt Canadian steel and aluminum producers.

Since Trudeau's speech at Davos on January 20 calling for "solidarity among middle powers," U.S. President Trump has been criticizing Canada. Trump also accused Trudeau of opposing his proposed "Starshot" missile defense system extending coverage to Greenland.

Trudeau said on the 17th that whether the Starshot system covers Greenland is a "technical issue," but discussions between Canada and the U.S. on the next phase of North American air defense are "progressing smoothly." He said, "If it aligns with Canada's correct interests, which I believe it does in many cases, we would be happy to participate."

In May last year, Trump announced the launch of the Starshot program, Visual China

The report states that the strategy document does not specify how many companies will be designated as "strategic partners," a status that will bring research funding, capital expenditure support, and export promotion. Canadian Defense Minister David McKinnon said both large and small companies will be included. He said a clearer timeline will be released, but he believes the government is already moving quickly.

Chris Zanfarani, CEO of the Canadian Defense and Security Industry Association, said the success of the strategy depends on whether procurement is truly accelerated. "They must start pushing contracts, and for small businesses, this becomes a real cash flow issue," he said.

The opposition Conservative Party of Canada has questioned the government's history of making bold promises on defense that have often gone unfulfilled.

Jim Balsillie, a tech investor and former co-CEO of BlackBerry, said Canada still lacks a strategy on managing defense intellectual property and reducing dependence on U.S. standards. "If you set the rules, you gain a lot of power, money, security, and control, but this document doesn't mention any of that," he said.

However, a senior Canadian defense official told CBC that the goals set by the new strategy, with more personnel, new equipment, and improved spare parts, are "ambitious but achievable."

CBC mentioned that just before Canada's new strategy was announced, on February 6 local time, Trump signed an executive order titled "America First Weapon Transfer Strategy." His intent is similar to Canada's blueprint. Trump wants to further enhance the ability to produce weapons in the U.S. and speed up the sale of U.S.-made military equipment to allies.

As for this, Wendy Gilmour, former assistant secretary-general for defense investment at NATO, said she does not think the two strategies will directly conflict, "Most of the time, we are not directly competing with the U.S., because Canadian defense companies have focused on manufacturing components rather than finished defense equipment for decades."

But Trudeau mentioned in his speech on the 17th that Canada recently joined the European large-scale military rearmament fund.

Trudeau pointed out that Canada's partnership with the U.S. remains important, but represents a "dependence that must evolve." He said, "This strategic autonomy does not mean isolation. It means being strong enough to become a preferred partner rather than a dependent."

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7608008490673553971/

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