Defense

Carney downplays Pentagon pulling out of US-Canada military board

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by Ellen Mitchell - 05/19/26 3:56 PM ET

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by Ellen Mitchell - 05/19/26 3:56 PM ET

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday downplayed the Pentagon’s abrupt decision to suspend a joint defense board the day prior, saying his country will continue defense cooperation with Washington but also will look to work with other partners.

Speaking at a news conference in Quebec, Carney said the Permanent Joint Board on Defense – established in August 1940 in the midst of World War II – has a long “heritage,” but that he wouldn’t “overplay” the magnitude of the Trump administration’s move.

“There’s lots of cooperation [with the U.S.], we will continue to do so,” Carney said. “But we will also be cooperating with other partners and diversifying our defense cooperation as we should as a member of NATO and lastly as we should in critical areas such as Ukraine. . . . Ukraine is going to triumph and we’re going to be on the right side of history for that.”

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby on Monday announced that the United States will suspend its involvement in the joint body that coordinates military consultation with Canada, appearing to lay blame at the feet of Carney over his address to the World Economic Forum earlier this year.

“A strong Canada that prioritizes hard power over rhetoric benefits us all. Unfortunately, Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments. DoW is pausing the Permanent Joint Board on Defense to reassess how this forum benefits shared North American defense,” Colby, the under secretary of Defense for policy, said in a post on X, using an alternate acronym for the Department of Defense.

The move comes as President Trump and Carney have abandoned previously friendly relations after the Canadian prime minister in a January address in Davos appeared to take a shot at Trump’s alienation of U.S. allies.

In that speech, Carney warned about the risks of relying on global “hegemons” and called on middle powers to form a united bulwark to counter the influence of superpowers U.S. and China.

“The middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” he said.

Trump has since threatened to block the opening of a new bridge connecting Canada and Michigan. Ottawa, in return, has mulled a reduction in its military purchases from Washington.

Prior to that, the president launched a trade war with Canada and called for making the country the 51st U.S. state.

Jason Kenney, a former Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta, lambasted the suspension of the board in a lengthy post to X, saying the U.S. decision “is nonsensical and counterproductive.”

“Canada is finally getting serious about investing in national defence. This should be welcomed and encouraged by our allies, not attacked,” he wrote.

The Permanent Joint Board on Defense includes military leaders and civilians from both countries, meeting semiannually to provide policy advice and conduct studies. The panel hasn’t met since 2024.

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