After being scolded by the U.S. for decades over "not paying enough," Canada has now surged ahead of America in military spending.

There's a kind of retaliation: You say I'm stingy? I'll outdo you completely.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on the 6th that Canada has selected a German defense giant to procure an initial batch of 12 submarines.

The key isn't the submarines—it's the money.

This order will push Canada’s defense budget directly to 4% of GDP.

What does 4% mean? The NATO benchmark for minimum contribution is only 2%. For years, Canada had consistently fallen short of this line, repeatedly criticized by the U.S. as “free-riding.”

Now? Floor it—Canada is now exceeding even the United States (around 3.4%).

After decades of being called a “tightwad,” Canada has finally flipped the table.

But why now?

The timing couldn’t be more coincidental—

In Trump 2.0 era, “Don’t pay protection money, don’t expect me to protect you” has become almost a catchphrase from the U.S. toward its allies. The “NATO is obsolete” narrative pops up every few months, and threats to pull troops out are made at a moment’s notice.

For Canada—a nation bordering the U.S., essentially the “backyard of North America”—this is the first time it truly grasps what “the mountain may collapse when you rely on it” really means.

Even worse: Canada shares the world’s longest international border with the U.S. What if one day the U.S. truly pulls back? Who monitors the Arctic Ocean direction? Who guards the Arctic shipping routes?

The answer is simple: carry it yourself.

Buy submarines, build a navy, pour money into self-defense—logic is straightforward: the less reliable you are, the more you must rely on yourself.

But then comes the awkward reality—

The 12 submarines won’t arrive until at least 2034. They’re conventional-powered, not nuclear. What can a conventional submarine do beneath the Arctic ice cap? When it actually comes to tracking Russian nuclear subs, Canada might still have to turn back to the U.S.

So whether this money was well spent remains uncertain—even Canadians themselves are questioning it.

But one thing is certain—

For decades, the U.S. has been shouting “pay more protection fees,” and finally, it has pushed Canada into action. Only the direction of that action may have surprised Washington.

Canada is “obedient”—but it’s obeying the command: “Rely on yourself.”

When an ally starts doubting whether the “big brother” is still trustworthy, no matter how much money you spend on equipment, it still can’t fill the hole in your sense of security.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870012464546816/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.