WASHINGTON – The U.S. defense secretary said Monday that the United States is pausing a long-standing military body, claiming “Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments.”
WASHINGTON – The U.S. defense secretary said Monday that the United States is pausing a long-standing military body, claiming “Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments.”
In a post on social media, Elbridge Colby said his department was pausing the Joint Standing Committee on Defense “to reassess how this forum benefits the common North American defense.”
Founded in 1940, the board is an advisory forum for U.S.-Canada bilateral defense cooperation.
Colby said the United States “can no longer avoid the gaps between rhetoric and reality” in the post, in which he posted a link to a transcript of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.
Carney never mentioned US President Donald Trump in the widely publicized speech in which he described a “rupture in the world order.” The address caught the president’s attention and following the speech, Trump referred to Carney as “Governor.” But Canada has not been the main target of Trump’s ire in recent weeks.
With geopolitical uncertainty exacerbated by the conflict in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, it is unclear what prompted Colby to announce the Defense Committee recess with Canada.
Carney significantly increased Canada’s defense spending, exceeding North Atlantic Treaty Organization goals.
Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole called the move “deeply misguided” and said the timing was strange after Trump’s trip to China.
In a post on social media, O’Toole said: “Canada has been and is an ally that shares the values ​​of freedom.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2026.
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press