Canada’s Carney must self-cure his Trump derangement syndrome

OPINION:

The United States and Canada have one of the closest bilateral relationships in the world — but it is deteriorating fast.

No one believes our strong partnership should end, but Canada should not continue to enjoy the privileges of U.S. market access and security guarantees without robust reciprocity.

Canada expects the U.S. to guarantee its defense without making proportionate contributions to our collective security.

For years, Canada spent well below NATO’s 2% of gross domestic product guideline on defense — a standard it met for the first time in decades only this year. That is a problem because Canada’s security is inseparable from North American security.

The U.S. carries the overwhelming share of North American defense through our military, intelligence capabilities, missile defense systems, naval power and nuclear deterrent. Canada benefits directly from this security umbrella while repeatedly delaying or limiting major investments in its own military forces.

Canada’s armed forces consist of about 100,000 members, active and reserve. They suffer from aging equipment, recruitment difficulties and limited operational capabilities. The army, air force and navy perform valuable work, but Canada’s military lacks the scale and readiness expected of a serious NATO partner.

Ottawa has the resources but will not do more. This political choice by successive Canadian governments assumes we will remain available to handle any military contingency.

Canada speaks forcefully about defending its Arctic sovereignty but has little capability to enforce it. The Arctic is becoming more militarily significant as Russia expands its northern forces and China labels itself a “near-Arctic” state.

Arctic shipping routes are becoming ever more important and accessible as competition over resources increases.

Canada’s northern territory is enormous, but it lacks enough rapidly deployable forces to secure it. The U.S., through NORAD and its wider military capabilities, is expected to close those gaps.

Ottawa’s approach to foreign policy also raises doubts about its reliability. Canadian leaders often portray their country as a principled middle power, frequently preferring to operate through the United Nations, NATO, European partners or broader coalitions rather than align with the United States.

Canada often keeps a distance from American foreign policy and military decisions rather than share responsibility for the security order from which it benefits. Canadian leaders routinely emphasize their country’s differences from the U.S., often presenting Canada as more restrained and enlightened.

Yet building a Canadian identity by highlighting that you are not American is not a partnership. It undermines trust.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent strategic cooperation with China and his push to build a coalition of countries to strengthen trade without the United States aggravate the situation.

Mr. Carney is also seeking to reduce economic dependence on the U.S. by looking for deeper cooperation with the European Union. He has even welcomed a proposal for Canada to become an “associate member” of the EU, a nonexistent status, to further distance Canada from Washington.

His economic policies further expose bilateral stress points. Canada relies on trade with the U.S. more than the U.S. relies on trade with Canada. Canada’s industries, supply chains, energy exports, transportation links and jobs are deeply tied to our economy.

In fact, more than 75% of Canadian exports go to the U.S.

Yet Canada strongly protects parts of its domestic economy through quotas and high tariffs. Such policies restrict American producers’ access to a market that otherwise benefits greatly from access to the United States.

Without a firm U.S. response, Ottawa will continue its protectionist policies while expecting unrestricted access to U.S. markets. Mr. Carney has publicly stated that Canada’s old relationship with the U.S., “based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over.” So be it.

Mr. Carney is facing serious separatist sentiments in Quebec and oil-rich Alberta. He needs a foreign foil to help keep his government together and thinks that he has found one in President Trump.

Yet deliberate political grandstanding by Ottawa to demonstrate independence from Washington is counterproductive. No serious government can be successful by publicly antagonizing the United States. Mr. Carney is taking Canada into uncharted and very dangerous political waters.

U.S.-Canada relations need a reset. Because Canada is a critical neighbor and trading partner, future relations must be based on reciprocity, shared democratic values and responsibilities.

Mr. Carney has gone so far as to review military plans in case of a U.S. invasion. He must quickly put an end to his anti-Trump nationalistic grandstanding because the future of both countries depends on it. More so his future than ours.

• Emilio T. Gonzalez is a retired U.S. intelligence officer who has served in senior positions in the U.S. Army, on the National Security Council and within the Department of Homeland Security.