Defending North America also benefits security in Europe, says Justin Trudeau

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants allies in Europe to know that Canada stands up for North America and Canada’s Arctic, which they too benefit from.

During a press briefing in Cold Lake, Alberta, Mr. Trudeau recalled that the collaboration of Canadian forces with the United States to protect North America has repercussions on security in Europe.

This press conference came at the end of a two-day visit to Canadian soil by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during which Mr. Trudeau presented what Canada is doing to protect its Arctic.

The two men notably visited the site of a military radar in Nunavut which is part of a warning system that the government recently pledged to improve at a cost of several billion dollars over the next 20 years.

MM. Trudeau and Stoltenberg also visited a recently opened high Arctic research station before heading to the base at Cold Lake, home to one of the country’s two main fighter jet squadrons.

While this visit comes amid tensions with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, it also coincides with Canada’s continued refusal to live up to NATO’s goal that all members devote two cent of their GDP to defence.