The Trump administration is walking away from a long-running body that works on Canada-U.S. defence initiatives, claiming Canada has failed to meet its commitments on defence spending.
U.S. Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby announced Monday the Pentagon is “pausing” participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defence, an advisory body on North American continental defence that was established in 1940.
“Only by investing in our own defense capabilities will Americans and Canadians be safe, secure, and prosperous,” Colby wrote in a series of posts on X. “Unfortunately, Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments.”
Colby’s posts implicitly lay some blame for the U.S. move on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s frequent statements about making alliances with countries other than the U.S., in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and his calls for making Canada the 51st state.
“We can no longer avoid the gaps between rhetoric and reality. Real powers must sustain our rhetoric with shared defense and security responsibilities,” Colby wrote in a post linked to a transcript of Carney’s headline-grabbing speech at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos.
Senior Canadian and U.S. defence and diplomatic officials make up the joint board.
It’s an important symbol of the bilateral relationship between the two countries, said Imran Bayoumi, a former U.S. defence adviser who’s now with the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, a Washington think-tank.
Cancelling board a ‘needless provocation’
“Cancelling it is a needless provocation that sends the wrong message to Ottawa and other U.S. allies,” Bayoumi told CBC News.
The board was created in 1940 by then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt and then-prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.
Although it’s supposed to meet at least annually, the last readout published by Canada or the U.S. of a meeting was back in November 2024 in Ottawa. That suggests the body has not met since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Colby’s posts announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the board include one with an image of a map of North America.
“Delivering on shared continental defense begins by recognizing our shared geography,” he wrote.
The Trump administration is walking away from the Permanent Joint Board on Defence, a long-running body that works on Canada-U.S. defence initiatives. The announcement was made on X on Monday by U.S. Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby, who said Canada has failed to make ‘credible progress’ on its defence commitments.
Asked by CBC News for comment, Defence Minister David McGuinty provided a list of new government spending commitments for the Canadian Armed Forces, including military investments across the North and procurement of new under-ice submarines. Â
“Canada will work with trusted partners who are ready to work with us, always remaining ready to come to the table for constructive discussions about the best ways to strengthen mutual defence and security,†McGuinty said.
The Trump administration has made no secret of its belief that Canada is not paying its fair share of continental defence.
NATO members boost defence spending
For decades, Canada has lagged behind in reaching the NATO benchmark of spending two per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on the military.
The country finally hit that target last year, after a $9.3-billion boost to the defence budget, including raising the pay of troops and moving the Canadian Coast Guard under the umbrella of defence spending.
But in large part at the urging of Trump, NATO members have agreed to boost their defence spending to five per cent of GDP over the next decade — 3.5 per cent on direct military spending and 1.5 per cent on defence infrastructure.
Colby alluded to that NATO spending commitment in a separate social media post on Monday that included a photo with Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada.
“Great hosting @USAmbCanada Pete Hoekstra at the Pentagon recently. We’re working closely to ensure every NATO partner, including Canada, reaches the Hague Summit’s 3.5% GDP defense spending target, a vital investment for North American and Arctic defense.”
The potential impact of the Trump administration’s move to withdraw from the board was not immediately clear.
Bayoumi said the announcement could be a tactic to try to pressure Canada into buying more U.S. military equipment.
“In the grand scheme of things, I’m not sure how much it’s actually going to change the defence relationship,” he said.
‘Foolish, but I’m not surprised’
John McKay, the former MP who served as the Canadian co-chair the last time the board met, said the decision casts doubt over such things as the renegotiation of the NORAD joint command agreement, military co-operation in the Arctic and Canada’s future purchases of U.S. F-35 fighter jets.
“I’m disappointed. I think it’s short-sighted. I think it’s foolish, but I’m not surprised,” McKay told CBC News.
CBC’s Rosemary Barton speaks to Minister of National Defence David McGuinty about Canada recently reaching the NATO target of 2 per cent of GDP spending on defence, what this says about the current state of global security, and how challenging it might be to maintain this level of spending.
McKay was asked whether the withdrawal could be a U.S. attempt at gaining leverage over Canada in trade talks or military procurement.
“I don’t see how cancelling one of the most significant — if secret and unknown — organizations which manages the mutual defence of North America enhances trade negotiations or enhances our willingness to purchase F-35s, maybe in some devious mind of some official somewhere,” he said.
The board’s meetings are described by U.S. and Canadian briefing notes as being focused on bilateral defence co-operation at the strategic level, with such topics as NORAD modernization and Arctic security on the agenda.
McKay said he gained insight into the Americans’ thinking through the conversations.
“Because they were at a top-secret location and level, you kind of got the real goods, which in this day and age, you don’t often get,” he said.
Artur Wilczynski, a former Canadian diplomat who attended the board’s meetings while holding a senior post at Public Safety Canada, said in a post on X: “The lack of joint coordination will affect the US too. Bizarre decision by the Trump regime.”
CBC News asked the Pentagon for further explanation about the withdrawal, but a public affairs officer said it had nothing to add beyond Colby’s posts.
Sean Maloney, a professor of history at Royal Military College who has written about the board, says the Trump administration’s move to pull out sends a strong signal because the board and its military cooperation committee do a lot of useful work on defence planning.
The U.S. withdrawal “basically generates more friction in the system than we need right now,” Maloney told CBC News.
However, he doubts the move will have an impact on day-to-day military operations involving Canada and the U.S.
“Regardless of the acrimony that can exist at certain levels in between the two countries, we still have to have a functional relationship on the defence side,” Maloney said.
