Pentagon pauses Canada-U.S. defence forum over military spending concerns

Elbridge Colby, the U.S. undersecretary of war, said in a series of posts on X that the Department of War was suspending the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, a Canada-U.S. security forum established during World War II, while reviewing “how this forum benefits shared North American defense.”

Colby said Canada had “failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments” and argued that “real powers must sustain” security rhetoric with concrete military capabilities and shared continental defence responsibilities.

He also said North American security depended on both countries investing in their own defence capabilities to ensure long-term safety and prosperity.

Former Canadian Conservative leader Erin O'Toole pushed back against the comments, calling them “profoundly misguided and quite strange,” particularly following the U.S. president’s recent visit to China.

In a post on X, O’Toole said Canada “has been and will be an ally that shares values of liberty,” while warning against losing sight of the long-standing military partnership between the two countries.

The Permanent Joint Board on Defense was created in 1940 to coordinate military cooperation between Canada and the United States, particularly on continental security issues.

Neither the U.S. Department of Defense nor the Government of Canada immediately issued formal statements elaborating on the reported pause.