Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has confirmed that high level discussions are underway with the United States about joining the ambitious new Golden Dome missile defence project, a multibillion-dollar initiative announced by US President Donald Trump.
The system is billed as a next-generation defence platform aimed at countering progressive aerial threats, including hypersonic missiles and space-based weapons. While Canada’s involvement is not yet confirmed, Carney said the government is actively evaluating the proposal.
Carney remarked that, “It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level.” However, he declined to offer specifics on how Canada might participate or what financial contribution might be expected. Carney added that, “I’m not going to put a price tag on it at this stage.”
Trump unveiled the Golden Dome plan, initially pegging the cost at $25 billion, though later saying the full program would cost $175 billion. Independent estimates from the Congressional Budget Office put the figure significantly higher up to $542 billion over 20 years, just for the space-based components.
Speaking from Washington, Trump confirmed Canada’s interest in the system, stating that, “They want to have protection also, so as usual, we help Canada.” He added that his administration expects Canadian partners to ‘pay their fair share.’
The Golden Dome is expected as a sprawling space-based system, using thousands of satellites and interceptors to detect and neutralize incoming missiles during their launch phase. It draws impulse from Israel’s Iron Dome, which has been successfully used to intercept short-range projectiles. Experts, however, have voiced scepticism over the feasibility of implementing such a large-scale defence shield over a country as vast as the United States.
Canada’s potential involvement comes during a period of intense bilateral negotiations with the US on trade and security. Trump has recently reignited tensions by threatening new tariffs and suggesting Canada might be better off as a US state, comments that were widely condemned in Canada and helped Carney’s Liberals secure a historic election win.
Carney’s office highlighted that any talks are part of a broader effort to redefine Canada-US relations. Canada and the US already collaborated closely on Norad, the joint aerospace and maritime surveillance program in place since 1958. In recent years, both countries have committed to updating Norad’s infrastructure and capabilities to address evolving threats.
For now, Ottawa is keeping its options open. Carney stated that, “We are conscious that we have an ability, if we so choose, to complete the Golden Dome with investments and partnership. But I’m not sure one negotiates on this. These are military decisions. And we will evaluate it accordingly.”
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