U.S. says it’s pausing long-standing military board with Canada

WASHINGTON — The U.S. undersecretary of defence for policy said Monday that the United States is pausing a long-standing military board, claiming “Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments.”

In a post on social media, Elbridge Colby said his department is pausing the Permanent Joint Board on Defense “to reassess how this forum benefits shared North American defense.”

The board was established in 1940 and is an advisory forum for U.S.-Canada bilateral defence co-operation.

Colby said the United States “can no longer avoid the gaps between rhetoric and reality” in the post, where he shared a link to a transcript of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Carney never mentioned U.S. President Donald Trump during the widely applauded speech where he described a “rupture in the world order.”

The address did garner the president’s attention and following the speech Trump referred to Carney as “governor.” But Canada has not been the main target of Trump’s ire in recent weeks.

With geopolitical uncertainty heightened by the conflict in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz it’s unclear what led Colby to announce the pause of the defence board with Canada.

Carney has significantly increased Canada’s defence spending, surpassing North Atlantic Treaty Organization targets.

Canada spent $63.4 billion on national defence in 2025, meeting its NATO commitment to spend two per cent of gross-domestic product on defence for the first time. Carney has called it the “single largest year-on-year increase in defence investment in generations.”

Defence Minister David McGuinty said Monday that “Canada and the U.S. have a long history of robust co-operation and collaboration on continental defence.” In an emailed statement, McGuinty pointed to the array of defence investments Canada has made, including Arctic radar systems and the procurement of aircraft and under-ice capable submarines.

“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’s statement said.

The decision to pull out of the board after Canada surpassed defence spending targets is “ominous,” said Fen Osler Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations.

“It is also perhaps a shot across the bow as the government considers major procurement decisions on fighter aircraft and other programs where the U.S. is a contender with its F-35s,” Hampson said in a text message to The Canadian Press.

The Liberal government has yet to reach a decision on its order of F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. It has been the subject of a political review for more than a year.

Earlier Monday, Colby posted on social media about meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra at the Pentagon.

Hoekstra has warned that there would be consequences to the bilateral defence relationship if Canada doesn’t go ahead with its purchase of 88 Lockheed fighter jets.

When asked about the timing of the announcement and whether it was connected to Canada’s deliberations over purchasing the F-35s, Pentagon spokesperson Tom Crosson said in an email to The Canadian Press that he didn’t have anything additional to add.

The Permanent Joint Board on Defense was set up under the Ogdensburg Agreement with then-president Franklin Roosevelt to manage the defence partnership between Canada and the United States.

Hampson said it has been used to steer bilateral defence co-operation, particularly at the policy level, including the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defence Command, known as Norad.

Hampson said the board also serves U.S. national security interests and the Trump administration is “shooting itself (in) its own foot.”

Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole said he was disappointed by the U.S. move.

He said the timing, following Trump’s trip to China, was strange. O’Toole, who recently joined Carney’s revamped advisory council on Canada-U.S. trade, said Trump has long talked about China as a global rival, including around defence.

Canada’s role in the partnership around North American defence had been languishing, O’Toole said, and faced criticism from multiple American administrations. Trump forced Canada to massively increase its defence spending, O’Toole said.

“I actually think they’ve had their the impact on Canadian dialogue,” he said. “If you see the levels of public support for defence spending, for example, that’s a sign that Canadians see that we were a free rider for too long.”

Colby’s announcement did not come in a vacuum. O’Toole pointed out that it’s likely connected the purchase of F-35 fighter jets and the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA.

“I’m hopeful that common sense and cooler heads will prevail,” O’Toole said. “And we can get back to probably the world’s best partnership in terms of alliance.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2026.

— With files from Craig Lord in Ottawa

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press