Commentary
If Donald Trump’s new tariffs go into effect next month, the Canadian defense industry will be among the hardest-hit casualties. While these tariffs are ostensibly aimed at countering unfair trade practices and bolstering American industry, their unintended consequences will reverberate across North America’s deeply integrated defense industrial base. The effects will be disproportionately severe on Canada, jeopardizing its defense sector, its ability to meet NATO obligations, and its already fragile relationship with Washington on security matters. Far from strengthening the U.S. defense industry, these tariffs threaten to weaken North America’s collective defense capabilities and undermine efforts to secure the Arctic, North Atlantic, and North Pacific.