Minister defends Canada's sovereignty as Trump says Golden Dome would cost 'zero dollars' for 51st state

Catharine Tunney · CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 11:54 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Defence Minister David McGuinty says Canada volition power its defence spending, a time aft U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his rhetoric to marque the state the 51st authorities — this clip successful speech for extortion nether a projected rocket defence system.

"I learned a agelong clip agone erstwhile it comes to managing relationships with different countries, you tin lone power what you tin control," McGuinty told reporters up of a caucus gathering Wednesday.

"And what we tin power present present is decisions astir strengthening our sovereignty and our security. We tin besides power our expenditures." 

Trump posted connected societal media Tuesday that it volition outgo Canada $61 cardinal US to articulation the Golden Dome strategy "if they stay a separate, but unequal, nation," but volition outgo thing "if they go our cherished 51st state."

McGuinty did not prosecute connected the $61-billion terms tag, lone saying the autumn fund volition person much details. 

"I'm not successful a presumption to measure the numbers," helium said. "When we bring a fund retired we'll person a batch much to accidental astir what we're going to do."

Trump's renewed 51st authorities rhetoric came conscionable hours aft King Charles made a whirlwind travel to Ottawa, wherever helium delivered a code from the throne that underscored Canada's unsocial individuality and reaffirmed its sovereignty.

WATCH | Defence curate connected Golden Dome cost: 

Trump's remark besides seemed to antagonistic the messaging his envoy to Ottawa, U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, has been heralding.

Just past week he told CBC's The House that the annexation saga is "over."

"Move on. If the Canadians privation to support talking astir it — that's their business," helium said.

"I'm not talking astir it. Donald Trump is not talking astir it."

'A bribe is simply a bribe': MP

Other Liberal MPs balked astatine the annexation comments connected their mode into the gathering up of the session's archetypal question period.

"It's outrageous," Winnipeg West MP Doug Eyolfson said connected his mode into a caucus gathering connected the hill.

"A bribe is simply a bribe to go the 51st state. And Canada won't instrumentality a bribe." 

Humber River-Black Creek Liberal MP Judy Sgro said Trump doesn't adjacent cognize the existent outgo of the task and is trying to disturbance the pot.

"I deliberation he's conscionable similar a small kid … who conscionable likes to spot however overmuch occupation helium tin origin for his family."

Conservative MP Michael Barrett said the United States is inactive an state and an important trading partner.

"It's clip to determination past what tin lone beryllium described arsenic a gag and get connected with productive discussions betwixt mature nations connected an important trading and subject partnership," said the Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands-Rideau Lakes representative.

'Do what's close for Canadians': minister

The Golden Dome plan, inspired by the Iron Dome that protects Israel from rockets, would greatly grow the U.S. aerial defence system.

Trump and different U.S. officials accidental the dome would beryllium capable to artifact missiles fired from different countries and from space, weaving unneurotic existing technologies with aboriginal tech that does not yet exist.

The president has said it would outgo $175 cardinal US, though the Congressional Budget Office has said it could outgo person to $542 cardinal US.

Trump's Tuesday station claimed that Canada is "considering the offer" to join.

In response,  a spokesperson with the Prime Minister's Office said national authorities officials are discussing security-related issues with the U.S., including the Golden Dome and the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).

Prime Minister Mark Carney whizzed past reporters Wednesday, saying helium won't negociate successful public. Carney told Trump successful a highly publicized Oval Office gathering that Canada is not for sale.

"We're going to proceed to bash what's close for Canadians and that includes making definite that we are secure, that we are sovereign," said McGuinty.

"And we're going to proceed to negociate our narration with not conscionable the United States, but arsenic we heard the premier curate accidental yesterday, with the European Union." 

On Tuesday, Carney told CBC's Power & Politics successful an interrogation that helium hopes Canada volition beryllium capable to articulation ReArm Europe, a large defence procurement pact, by July 1, successful a measurement to trim the country's dependence connected the United States for weapons and munitions. 

That program foresees European countries spending $1.25 trillion connected defence implicit the adjacent 5 years.