It has been a month since Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office. The White House marked the milestone yesterday in an unusual manner in an online post. It depicted Trump as a wannabe king for signing an order abolishing New York City’s congestion tax. He has also repeatedly said he wants to abolish Canadian sovereignty and make it the 51st state. His remarks have stoked an outcry and wave of patriotism among proud Canadians, but in turn, the silence has been deafening. Allies in the G7 and NATO have declined to abolish Canadian sovereignty and make it the 51st state. His remarks have stoked an outcry and wave of patriotism among proud Canadians, but in turn, the silence has been deafening. Allies in the G7 and NATO have declined to speak up on the issue.
leaving many here to wonder whether those countries are in fact true friends standing up for Canada. So for more on this now and to further this discussion, we reached FBIs Poitier. He’s a former director of policy and planning at NATO and he’s now CEO of the political consultancy firm Rasmussen Global. Thank you for joining us. Pleasure. Okay, so in today’s climate of President Donald Trump’s threats that we’ve discussed to this country, his constant remarks, some might call jokes, claiming that Canada should become the 51st state.
America, Canada, why has there not been wide and loud condemnation from Canadian allies? Well, I think you have a point here and it’s a bit the same as we observed for Denmark with the issue of Greenland, where you have not seen a big solidarity push from either NATO or the European Union. I think it’s not for the lack of solidarity; it’s probably an attempt to deescalate or at least not to further escalate into a rhetorical fight with Donald Trump and as we have seen lately in reality, I think, the very sad spectacle of this reign of Donald.
Canada’s allies standing up to Trump’s annexation threats?
Trump to President Belinsky’s declaration is actually exactly what I think NATO leaders are trying to avoid. It’s an interesting strategy, particularly because when we want to talk about NATO, the alliance, we know that there was a lot of attention for Article 5 when we were talking about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but we can also talk about Article 4, which commits NATO members to consult together whenever, in the opinion of any member, territorial integrity, political independence, or security of a
single nation party is threatened so given that, I guess the question is whether or not Trump’s threats are being received on NATO’s stage as such. Well, first, I’m not sure if Ottawa wants and/or has tried to trigger Article Four because that is Article Four. Article Five, obviously, it’s an ally or group of allies who have to say this is an Article Four situation like we had with Turkey several times during the Hat’s War. That. Second, I think we are, let’s be honest because here is what you know, an adversary, or.
interest, or theme Americans were handling the negotiations with Russia.. I think this is a new reality and it’s time to take stock and I think Canada should become more.
European and Europe should become more Canadian and we should form in a way now a new geometry a new Coalition of the likeminded willing to stand up against the bullies and if the bully is down South for can Canada we should stand by Canada and that might be a conversation perhaps that could be happening behind closed doors you know we’re using words uh like the shock that some may have received the words of the US vice president at the Munich Security Council de-escalation as well we know that the United States is a mighty economic power.
Allies appear to duck and cover as Trump threatens
power, a mighty military power as well. There’s the threat of tariffs so not only Canada but other countries, including Europe as well. So are countries just scared?? They’re scared but they’re not without leverage. I think it is very important to rebuild a sense of our own leverage and, uh, you probably know more than me but it looks like Donald Trump walking back on the threat of tariffs on Canada and Mexico was because actually some people started realizing that there was such a dependence on the Canadian.
automotive industrial base to produce American cars that it was actually they were cues at the border and that’s not politically and economically sustainable for the United States so I think it’s important to stand by our leverage. It’s the same with Europe on Ukraine. We are the key to the European sanctions on Russia. American sanctions on Russia much less potent than European sanctions on Russia for the simple fact that the Russian economy is more dependent on the European economy we hold most of the.
Russian frozen assets in Europe, not in the United States and the current administration in Washington want us to take care of Ukraine through the European Union integration process. These are three important points of leverage to say, Hey, we hold three cards here, which you need in order to do a good deal with Russia and Ukraine to bring peace so let’s bring this up and let’s talk. And the same should apply to Canada. Inn the final 30 seconds I have with you,, I just want to circle back to one point that you mentioned and that.
Trudeau says Trump threat to annex Canada ‘is a real thing’
was perhaps Europe should become more Canadian, and Canada should become more European and whether or not we’re seeing the shaping of potentially a new alliance, a possibility?? Are we looking at a massive shift in the world order?? A week ago, you would have asked me this question, and I would have said this remains a pretty remote possibility. NATO remains central to stability in the northern hemisphere. Auk later and many things have happened and not the best… I can tell you that I think we are.
Looking now at new geometries. there will be a new geometry in Europe going beyond the European Union simply because there are some European union members who are not align with the others and also some outside the EU like Norway and the UK which we need if you want to have a credible European Defense and the same thing with Canada uh especially in the high North so I think there are going to be new geometries It’s going to be difficult;; it’s going to be uncertain but the key here is that our leaders wake up.
and start to make decisions I want to thank you very much for your thoughts and your time today. Thank you, Fa. Please, that was Fab Partier, a former director of policy and planning at NATO.
