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Canada considers sending troops to Greenland amid Trump's push for ownership of the island
Bloomberg News is reporting that Mark Carney is considering sending Canadian soldiers to Greenland, in the midst of U.S. President Donald Trump’s continued pressure to acquire the island for U.S. interests.
The news agency said it spoke to a person familiar with the matter, under condition that the person not be named. It confirmed earlier reports by CBC News and the Globe and Mail on the same issue. The report made it clear that Canada’s prime minister hasn’t made a decision yet. National Post has reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office for comment.
The report notes that a Royal Canadian Air Force contingent is already taking part in a pre-planned NORAD exercise in Greenland, but that Carney is pondering whether to send additional forces as part of sovereignty exercises Denmark is planning. That might include drills to protect the Greenland’s critical infrastructure.
Trump has announced a 10 per cent tariff, rising to 25 per cent in June, on eight European nations — EU members Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, along with Britain and Norway — after they said they would participate in NATO military exercises in Greenland.
Bloomberg says that move has caused European Union leaders to plan an emergency summit to discuss the matter and explore possible retaliatory measures, including counter-tariffs. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Trump on Sunday that the U.S. tariff measure was “wrong.”
The plan is to meet in Brussels on Thursday. One option is a package of tariffs on 93 billion euros ($150 billion Cdn) of U.S. imports that could automatically kick in on Feb. 6 after a six-month suspension.
On Sunday, Carney said Greenland’s future is for Denmark and Greenland to decide, and that he’ll reiterate that message to Trump if they speak about it.
Carney made his remarks from Qatar, where he had travelled after his visit to China last week. “It’s a serious situation,” Carney said at a news conference. “We’re concerned about this escalation, to be absolutely clear.”
Carney said the security of Greenland “very much falls within the responsibilities of NATO,” adding: “We always will support sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, wherever their geographic location is.”
Asked what he would say to Trump, he replied: “I’m going to say everything I just said.”
Carney’s next stop is the World Economic Forum taking place this week in Davos, Switzerland. Trump is also attending and is set to deliver a speech on Wednesday, but it’s not known if the two leaders will meet.
Over the weekend, Trump linked his claims on Greenland to not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in a letter he sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” Trump said in the letter, which was obtained by Bloomberg. “Although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”
“The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,” he added.
Store said he had informed Trump several times that the prize isn’t decided by the Norwegian government but is awarded by an independent committee.
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