Opinion: Golden Dome? No, thanks — we don't want it

Montreal Gazette

a day ago

Op Eds
The tweet came unexpectedly on the very day the King was delivering the speech from the throne in Ottawa: Canada would have to pay $61 billion to join Donald Trump's proposed Golden Dome anti-missile system — unless it became the 51st State.
As if, while our monarch was reaffirming the country's sovereignty in Parliament, the American president wanted to remind Canadians just how high the price we'd have to pay for that sovereignty could be. Essentially trying to make us fear a world where we would no longer benefit from the benevolent protection of our traditional closest ally.
Just like when the mafia collects the pizzo from its victims to ensure their 'safety.' …
Prime Minister Mark Carney has reportedly been considering the proposal. He's made clear the importance of defining 'a new economic and security relationship' with our neighbours south of the border. It's still unclear how — or even if — that will take shape.
But after everything that's happened in recent months — and again just last week with doubled tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel — should we really be tempted to accept Trump's offer of a shared Golden Dome?
If Trump's tariff threats did anything positive for Canada, it's that they finally opened our eyes to a reality that we had been ignoring for far too long: for decades, our economy has been overly dependent on the United States. And most Canadians now seem to agree: This needs to change for good.
So with that in mind, shouldn't we take the same approach when it comes to our military? Shouldn't we focus on strengthening our own defence capabilities instead of depending on an 'ally' we can no longer rely on to protect our territory and sovereignty?
If we're going to spend $61 billion on military equipment — and we should, given that Canada has one of the world's largest territories to defend and lags way behind most of its NATO allies when it comes to defence expenditures — it should be Canadian-made, Canadian-owned and Canadian-controlled.
First, because it represents a significant long-term economic opportunity. As Carney vows to build a stronger economy, such investments would not only create well-paying jobs and generate prosperity for Canadians, but also bolster our military-industrial complex and national defence capabilities.
Second, because we must ramp up investment and research and development in the defence sector to reduce reliance on foreign technology. If Canada truly wants to be more autonomous from global superpowers — especially amid rising geopolitical tensions across the world — we must start by empowering ourselves and building our own equipment and infrastructure, with full control over the intellectual property.
Quebec could benefit significantly from this kind of large-scale public investment. On Montreal's South Shore, for instance, the presence of the Royal Military College in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu has helped foster a cluster of businesses in the defence sector. These companies, with their existing expertise, could play a crucial role in developing the next generation of Canadian military technology, including armoured vehicles, tanks and other automated defence systems.
The province's aerospace industry could also contribute to this collective effort by adding military aircraft and helicopters to its portfolio. This would certainly help revitalize a sector that has lost some of its lustre in recent years.
For the first time in over 200 years of peaceful cohabitation on the North American continent, Canada's independence is being questioned by our southern neighbour. The lesson should be clear: If we can no longer count on the U.S. for our security, why should we invest in its future defence initiatives and make ourselves even more reliant on Americans?
It would be like giving the burglars the code to deactivate your alarm system at home.
No thanks, Mr. Trump. Canada doesn't need your Golden Dome.