U.S. Flags Concerns Over Canada, EU Defence Policies

OTTAWA:Even as Canada rolls out its new defence industrial strategy, Washington is already signaling unease — though current objections are focused on Europe.

Last week, both the U.S. State Department and Department of Defense issued warnings to the European Union over rearmament plans that favour domestic producers, known as “buy European” clauses in a recently revised EU security directive.

“Protectionist and exclusionary policies that strong-arm American companies out of the market when Europe’s largest defence firms continue to greatly benefit from market access in the United States are the wrong course of action,” the U.S. said in a statement filed Feb. 13.

The submission, first reported by Politico-EU and later obtained by CBC News, follows closely on an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The order aims to cement the United States as the preferred arms supplier for allies and streamline decision-making so weapons and equipment can reach foreign militaries more quickly.

While the U.S. has not yet formally criticized Canada’s strategy, experts warn that tensions could spill across the border, adding pressure to an already delicate defence trade relationship.