There are times for diplomacy and there are times for backbone. In the wake of U.S. comments and actions these past two weeks, it is time for the latter from Canada.

And when it comes to the Canadian Armed Forces, that means choosing Sweden’s jets over the American F-35s.

This past month has been too much. Start with Pete Hegseth, U.S. secretary of war (what a stupid job title) and his mocking of a female Canadian cadet, ostensibly for her weight. Hegseth’s jibe was a public, contemptuous dismissal of a longstanding institution that teaches valuable skills to young people. It was rightly condemned, here and abroad. 

Then consider Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s comments, trivializing our military’s capabilities, as if we had not shed blood with American soldiers as recently as Afghanistan.  In fact, after the U.S. and Britain, Canada’s contingent was the largest mobilized in that nation. More than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014. This included major combat operations in Kandahar, leading the Kandahar reconstruction team, and a wholeofgovernment presence including diplomats, development workers, and police.

The U.S. administration’s rhetoric and actions, including starting the tariff fight on billions in Canadian exports, has felt like a shakedown. 

As Prime Minister Mark Carney rightly moved production of future VIA Rail cars to Thunder Bay recently, instead of the U.S., it’s also time for a rethink of defence procurement. The prime minister must not send mixed signals by choosing American jets over what’s on offer from Sweden.

Too deeply tethered

At the root of this debate within the CAF is comfortability. There’s too much evidence suggesting that Canada’s military has grown deeply comfortable with a close, almost reflexive operational relationship with the United States. The F35 is a prime example. 

A major part of this comes from decades of NORAD integration, where Canadian and American officers work sidebyside in a binational command structure. In recent reporting, Maj. Gen. Chris McKenna — Canada’s senior operational air commander for NORAD — emphasized that interoperability with the U.S. is not an addon but a baseline requirement for how Canada currently fights.