PM's intelligence adviser says it's time for Canada to be 'selfish' and protect itself

Catharine Tunney · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 2:43 PM EST | Last Updated: March 5

The premier minister's quality and information advisor says it's clip for Canada to beryllium little babelike connected its partners, comments that travel a time aft the U.S. launched a commercialized warfare against its bluish neighbour.

"We request to beryllium a small spot much selfish now," said Nathalie Drouin, portion speaking connected a sheet Wednesday greeting to a country of planetary subject and information officials successful Ottawa.

"Yes we request to marque our NATO target, we request to marque definite that we stay a reliable spouse for NORAD. But we request archetypal to deliberation astir Canada and however to support Canada and this is wherever our absorption should be."

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump followed done connected his menace to enforce 25 per cent tariffs connected astir Canadian goods, a determination that launched some countries into turbulent economical times. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded with counter-tariffs connected an archetypal tranche of $30 cardinal worthy of American goods.

Trudeau said Tuesday that Trump is trying to punctual "a full illness of the Canadian economy" due to the fact that helium thinks that volition "make it easier to annex us," thing the U.S. president has repeatedly said helium wants to do.

The president's commercialized warfare and accordant prodding astir making Canada the 51st authorities are acold from his lone stance compounding planetary uncertainty.

Trump has made it wide helium wants to spot a swift extremity to the warfare sparked by Russia's 2022 full-scale penetration of Ukraine via negotiations with Moscow.

Trudeau noted that Trump is attacking his country's "closest spouse and ally" portion "talking astir moving positively with Russia and appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator."

In her opening remarks, Drouin said Canada needs "to person the due capabilities to support Canada."

"We are successful the astir unsettling clip since the Second World War," Drouin said. "I could not debar saying our paradigm narration with the U.S. has changed." 

There are concerns with however the caller White House medication volition attack intelligence. 

As the sheet was preparing to begin, elder White House officials announced the state has temporarily chopped disconnected intelligence-sharing with Ukraine

One of Drouin's predecessors, Vincent Rigby, voiced concerns past period that the U.S. volition weaponize entree to American quality with accepted allies implicit commercialized irritants.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service Director Dan Rogers, besides a speaker connected Wednesday's panel, expressed optimism that won't beryllium the case, arguing the U.S. benefits from its quality narration with Canada. 

"If you tin trust connected partners to enactment successful their self-interest, past they should proceed to worth the binational co-operation betwixt U.S. and Canada successful the quality space. And I deliberation they do," helium said.

"Now is simply a large clip to treble down connected the things that marque america strong."