There comes a time when membership in a club just becomes too onerous. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is just that. It was a cold-war vehicle in the fight against communism when the US was the world’s policeman. Back then before the fall of the Soviet Union, there were very good reasons to form a defensive block against Soviet aggression. And today, it still has its use in preventing further aggression by Putin in his war against Ukraine and his threat to the Baltic countries.
The problem today is that NATO has lost its way. The US under Biden has committed to defending Taiwan against Chinese aggression in a crazy move to prevent China from seizing TSMC microchips and cutting off the US supply of semiconductors. So if the US enters into war against China alongside Japan, Australia, South Korea and the Philippines, it is very likely that its NATO partners will be called on to help with the war effort. Canada will most certainly be called on to send troops into the conflict, just like we did in Korea with our British, Australian, South African, New Zealand and Indian allies.
Canada today is a shadow of its former self under Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government. Canada is no longer a player in world events. The Commonwealth is no longer a player. The same goes for Australia and New Zealand. We don't have any clout and no longer wield any influence among the important nations of the world. We are a spendthrift nation incapable of balancing our budgets and our productivity is way down below that of the State of Alabama. Mexico and Brazil have more influence than Canada around the world. We spend around 1.3% of our GDP on our military, way below the 2% required by NATO. We talk big about our commitment to NATO and increasing our defence spending but do nothing.
The world has seen our feckless prime minister promising foreign aid and assistance in policy speeches that he has no intention of fulfilling. They know that it is nothing but nonsensical bluster aimed at social media back home. We are NATO's deadbeat partner and we need to get out. Canadian forces would have great difficulty defending our huge landmass against any foreign attack. Our military spending policy has never been about satisfying the military's needs, but rather a huge job creation project designed to get political support in the regions for the Liberal Party. It doesn’t matter what the cost is or when the hardware will be delivered.
The majority of Canadians don’t think we need a defence budget since we live under the US protective umbrella. Are we ready to stand with the Americans at their beck and call if war breaks out with China? I think it is clear that no Canadian would want to serve in a Biden war against China. It was stupid of Biden to confirm US support for the Taiwanese and to endanger NATO with such a commitment. Will the Germans, the UK, and France follow the US into war with China? It’s highly unlikely, but Canada is very likely to be called on to help with a potential Asian war since we are far closer to Asia.
So what would change if Canada left NATO? Not that much. We might save some money by cancelling our commitment to the US weapons program and their horribly expensive F35 fighters. We would no longer need to be in sync with US technology. We could buy cheaper Swedish Gripen fighters, UK Eurofighter Typhoons, French Rafales, Ukrainian or Turkish drones and technology. We could use some of our military budget to reduce our fiscal imbalance. And of course, we could still contribute funds to Ukraine directly without worrying about satisfying NATO military spending requirements.
Would the Americans be pissed off? Of course, they would, but like Mexico, there is no reason to be in lockstep with Biden and the Americans. Do Mexicans want to fight America’s wars in Asia? No, they don’t and neither do we.
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