Canada’s new 100 year cooperation agreement with Ukraine marks a profound shift in how this country understands its responsibilities in a world destabilized by an increasingly unhinged Donald Trump.
For decades, Canadians have been wary of entanglement in the military industrial complex, and rightly so: defence spending can sprawl, accountability can blur, and the line between preparedness and excess can fade. But today’s geopolitical reality is not the one Canada faced even five years ago. Trump’s second administration in Washington – and its alarming willingness to comfort, excuse, and financially enable Vladimir Putin’s Russia – has forced Canada to confront a hard truth: in an era when democratic allies can no longer rely on the United States for consistent leadership, Canada must strengthen its own defence posture and deepen ties with partners who share its values.