Canada Defense Relations

Canada-United States Defence Cooperation

Since the 1940’s when Prime Minister Mackenzie King signed the Ogdensburg Agreement, which acknowledged a joint board on the defence of North America, the Canadian-American cooperation in the defence of the continent has persisted and remained strong regardless of the continuous and evolving challenges. This relationship was tested rigorously over the years, especially during the 1950’s.

During this period, at the peak of the Cold war, Canadian and American defence relations were quite strong. The security of the entire continent was put at risk by the constant threat of nuclear strike. In September 1957, Canada and the United States agreed to create the “North American Air Defence Command”, better known as NORAD . Its main purpose was to defend the continent against the ever growing threat of Soviet bombers. On May 12th 1958, NORAD was formed and a strong defence relationship was formed between the two nations; one that would last for years. The formation included 11 principles which would govern the establishment and call for a renewal of the agreement, which was performed in 1968. The NORAD agreement between the two nations has been improved and revised several times since:

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There is no enemy today and none on the horizon. and Canada in support of one (nation). Fourth, Canadian companies benefit from access to important technologies and the large US defence market”. NORAD’s commander in chief is an American who reports to both the U. There has even been a proposal to integrate Canadian troops into a North American command system which would more or less be an overhaul of the NORAD system already in place. ”

Little does she know that this type of system has already been in place for over 5 decades: NORAD. ”

This type of system would simply improve the already strong relations between Canadians and the U. Those differences have to be expressed”. Second, Canada retains an influential voice in US defence policy formulation in areas where our security interests are directly involved. This is the main reason why Canada must maintain strong ties with the Americans.

“We have to retain the capacity to make our own decisions about what Canadian forces do and very often we agree with the United States. Adjustments to existing arrangements and the upcoming negotiations on NORAD's renewal are important elements of this process.

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