Hour 4 of Ottawa Now for Fri. May 8th, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Canada has put more than $65 billion toward defence and security over the past year and reached NATO’s 2 per cent of GDP benchmark — but that is no longer enough for Washington. The United States has paused its participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD), a World War II–era U.S.-Canada defence board. Under Secretary of War Elbridge Colby announced the pause on May 18, noting that “Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defence commitments” — namely, a plan to reach 5 per cent of GDP by 2035. He also criticized recent Canadian rhetoric,...