HMCS Harry DeWolf sails in the Arctic Ocean in August 2023 during an annual northern operation.[Private Brendan Gamache/Canadian Armed Forces Photo]
Is Canada’s sovereignty really threatened by the United States? The release of the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy [NSS] on Dec. 5, 2025, created a firestorm of fear and criticism in the U.S., Europe and the Western Hemisphere, not least in Canada. Editorials and media commentary offered their takes and there seemed to be almost no one in Canada who found anything to like about what the NSS meant for the country. The Russian government indicated, however, that it was pleased with the document’s views on the world, which, said a Kremlin spokesperson, are “largely consistent with our vision.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin should be very happy. The NSS characterized Russia and China as superpowers, each with its own sphere of influence. It included nothing critical about Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine or its related crimes against humanity. Instead, Kyiv was criticized for blocking “conditions of strategic stability across the Eurasian landmass….” NATO, the strategy stated, should stop expanding—meaning that Ukraine could never be allowed to join the alliance.
Further, it stated: “it is more than plausible that within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European. As such, it is an open question whether they will view their place in the world, or their alliance with the United States, in the same way as those who signed the NATO charter.”
If that sounds racist, it’s because it is. This statement and others from the document are critical of the European Union and praise anti-democratic, far-right parties, essentially calling for regime change and an end to immigration. This infuriated some European leaders who realized the U.S. has become an enemy of liberal democracy.
Then there was the document’s reference to the “‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine.” In 1823, President James Monroe declared, among other items, that European powers should no longer colonize the Western Hemisphere nor interfere in its systems. It noted that any such attempts would be viewed as hostile. At the time, the U.S. had little ability to enforce the position. But current President Donald Trump does. And the NSS makes clear that his administration intends to do so.
Trump’s NSS document says, “The United States must be preeminent in the Western Hemisphere as a condition of [its] security and prosperity.” In a December 2025 editorial, The Globe and Mail interpreted this vision of countries of the region, including Canada, as “vassal states that exist to serve America’s interests.”
The White House will, says the NSS, “identify strategic acquisition and investment opportunities for American companies in the region and present these opportunities
for assessment by every U.S. government financing program….” Any agreements, “especially with those countries that depend on us most and therefore over which we have the most leverage, must be sole-source contracts for our companies,” it continued, and the U.S. “should make every effort to push out foreign companies that build infrastructure in the region.”
The U.S. plan is to “reward and encourage the region’s governments, political parties, and movements broadly aligned with our principles and strategy.” As The Globe and Mail put it, “This sounds distinctly like foreign interference.…”
Trump’s repeated musings about using economic coercion to make Canada the 51st state lend credence to this concern.
He also imposed heavy tariffs on Canadian industry in 2025, and the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement is up for renewal this year. The message of the NSS is clear: buy from the U.S.—or else.
But there’s more. The document also makes plain that foreign investment and trade in strategic sectors, such as rare-earth elements and communication networks and infrastructure, are threats to U.S. security. Canada is working to diversify trade with Europe and southeast Asia, including by purchasing military and naval equipment, which may be viewed unfavourably by the Trump administration.
Indeed, the NSS is explicit that it wants “to ensure continued access to key strategic locations.” This undoubtedly includes the Panama Canal. But might it also include Canada’s Northwest Passage? The sea lane connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans passes through the country’s Arctic region and its internal waters. The U.S., however, argues it’s an international strait and has never recognized Canadian claims to it. Still, in the 1988 Canada-U.S. Arctic Cooperation Agreement, the U.S. pledged to secure Ottawa’s consent before sending its icebreakers through the route.
The NSS, though, indicates the U.S. “must reconsider [its] military presence in the Western Hemisphere,” including by “establishing or expanding access in strategically important locations.” Does this imply that that 1988 Arctic accord is no longer relevant? Might the Trump administration view Canadian “consent” to access the Northwest Passage as interfering with U.S. security? It seems Canada is being viewed as a banana republic.
What can the country do now? Canadians must think hard about their national security. The nation needs to strengthen the Canadian Armed Forces and its defences in and over the Arctic to make it difficult for President Trump to claim that a weakness there forces him to act to protect U.S. security.
The Globe and Mail interpreted this vision of countries of the region, including Canada, as “vassal states that exist to serve America’s interests.”
Given the stance outlined in the NSS, Canada and its NATO allies, along with South Korea, Japan and Australia, should quickly intensify defence co-operation, particularly on procurement, cyber networks and infrastructure. They should also continue to support Ukraine’s fight against Moscow’s aggression.
Mark Carney’s government has been addressing these issues quickly, but it must do more. NATO may no longer be important to a U.S. government that seemingly views Putin’s Russia as a country with which it shares many values and interests. But the alliance remains valuable to Canada and the country needs to co-operate with its European allies, as well as with its friends in the Western Hemisphere, in resisting U.S. interference to its sovereignty, territory, governments and institutions.
It’s clear Canada is being threatened by Trump’s United States. Canadians are certain to face difficulties never before contemplated. Perhaps this might change when Trump leaves office, but there’s no doubt that trust has been lost and Canada’s relations with Washington have been altered for the foreseeable future.
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