Canada and Europe to Rearms on a Massive Scale… eyeing alternatives to American-made fighter jets while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte LAUGHs his a** off listening to Donald Trump brags about Annexing Canada!

Europe and Canada are eyeing alternatives to American-made fighter jets

European Union on Wednesday announced a new drive to break its security dependency on the United States, with a focus on buying more defense equipment in Europe. In recent years, the EU’s 27 nations have placed about two-thirds of their orders with U.S. defense companies.

New World Order may see a closer alliance between Canada and Europe

European officials have entered into talks with Canada that aim to incorporate this country into a new defence production partnership, potentially allowing Canadian firms to bid for contracts as Europe prepares to rearm on a massive scale.

“We’ve been in talks with the European Union to make sure that we could work on defence procurement together,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told CBC’s Power & Politics host David Cochrane on Wednesday.

Angering an F-35 partner

In Canada, where Trump has launched a trade war and has threatened economic coercion to make it the 51st American state, new Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked Defense Minister Bill Blair to review its purchase of F-35s. Canada has been a partner with the U.S. in developing the fighter.

Blair will see if there are other options “given the changing environment,” a defense spokesman said.

Carney on Tuesday announced an early warning radar system purchase from Australia worth Canadian $6 billion ($4.2 billion). Officials say it will have a smaller footprint than a similar American system.

NATO to Ask Europe and Canada for 30% Boost in Military Capacity

And in Portugal, the outgoing defense minister recently told a Portuguese newspaper that “recent positions” taken by Washington compelled a rethink about the purchase of F-35s. Portugal is considering various options to replace its F-16s.

“You’re not just buying an airplane, you’re buying a relationship with the United States,” said Winslow T. Wheeler, who spent three decades in U.S. Congress working for Democrats and Republicans on national security and defense issues. “People in the past have not just welcomed, but craved that kind of relationship.”

Europe rearms on a massive scale

“We live in the most significant and dangerous time,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, announcing a huge mobilization package for the rearmament of Europe on a scale not seen in decades.

“In this world,” said EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola, “we cannot afford to depend on others to keep us safe.”

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed his nation on prime-time television: “I want to believe that the United States will remain by our side. But we need to be ready.”

Tom Enders, former Airbus chief and head of the German Council on Foreign Relations, went further: “We can’t close our eyes to the fact that the United States is now an adversary.”

2 harsh realities

The first is that Canada is seeking new alliances because it feels threatened by U.S. talk of annexation, but the allies it’s courting — with the exception of Denmark — feel threatened by Moscow, not Washington. Formal alliances with mutual defence obligations are usually most appealing to countries that face the same threats from the same quarters.

The second is that few countries will bind themselves with commitments to defend an ally that can’t return the favour. And Canada doesn’t have the capability to project significant military power to other parts of the world such as Europe.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte LAUGHs while U.S. President Donald Trump proudly talks about Annexing Canada!

Last week in the Oval Office, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte remained mute and even smiled as Trump made some of his most threatening annexation comments yet about both Canada and Greenland.

Many have been saying,

Canada should take closer look at joining European Union

However, a fact check reveals the idea isn’t exactly possible…

Fact check: Can Canada apply to join the EU?

Mark Carney alluded to Canada’s European roots during a visit to the old continent — his first official foreign trip since taking office — which saw him meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss Trump’s recent belligerence.

“I want to ensure that France, and the whole of Europe, works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries,” Carney said, adding that he wished to “maintain the most positive relations possible with the United States”.

The meeting came after a survey published by Abacus Data in late February found that 44% of Canadians believe their country should join the EU, compared to 34% who say it shouldn’t.

Another 46% of respondents would support Canada joining, compared to 29% who would oppose it.

But is this actually possible? Could Canada really join the bloc?

What does EU law say?

Paula Pinho, spokesperson for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said at a briefing earlier in March that they were “honoured” with the survey results because they showed the attractiveness of the EU, but added that Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union says that only European states can apply for EU membership.

That is indeed what the treaty says: “Any European State which respects the values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them may apply to become a member of the Union”.

Nevertheless, the treaty doesn’t quite lay out exactly what constitutes a “European State”.

A 1992 document from the commission of the then-European Communities gives us a clue, however, highlighting the importance of geographical and cultural ties.

“The term ‘European’ has not been officially defined,” it says. “It combines geographical, historical and cultural elements which all contribute to the European identity.”

“The shared experience of proximity, ideas, values, and historical interaction cannot be condensed into a simple formula, and is subject to review each succeeding generation,” the document continues.

Other continental organisations can also serve as a barometer for Europeanness, according to Peter Van Elsuwege, professor of EU law at Ghent University.

“Another point of reference is the membership of the Council of Europe, since this organisation is also only open to ‘European States’,” he told EuroVerify. “Hence, membership of the Council of Europe gives an indication of ‘the limits of Europe’.”

The Statute of the Council of Europe, which predates the EU, says: “Any European State…may be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe by the Committee of Ministers”.

Have any non-European countries applied to join the EU before?

Countries from outside continental Europe have previously asked and even eventually joined the EU.

Cyprus, which is culturally and politically European but geographically located in West Asia, became a full member of the EU in 2004.

While some of Turkey sits in Europe, most is also in West Asia. Nonetheless, it’s an official EU candidate country despite accession talks having stalled for years.

Morocco, however, applied to join in 1987 but was rejected because it wasn’t a European country.

Unlike Cyprus and Turkey, Morocco is not a member of the Council of Europe, and neither is Canada, which is one of the biggest hurdles to it ever joining the EU, according to Van Elsuwege.

“Canada — just as Morocco in the past — does not satisfy the criterion of a ‘European state’,” he said. “In particular, Canada is geographically speaking not located in Europe, it is not a Council of Europe member state and does not have any ancient connections to the cultural development of Europe.”

Van Elsuwege noted that this is fundamentally different for Cyprus and Turkey. In the case of the former, the European Commission decided that Cyprus’ role in the development of European culture and civilisation, in addition to its close cultural, political and economic links with the rest of the continent, made its application admissible.

For Turkey, its geography and history play a role in it being deemed a “European state”.

“This was already the case in the 1963 association agreement between the European Economic Community and Turkey, which includes a reference to a potential future membership application from Turkey,” Van Elsuwege said.

“Hence, Cyprus and Turkey are rather specific cases, which cannot be seen as precedents to conclude that Canada may potentially be regarded as a ‘European state’ under Article 49 TEU.”

The most likely conclusion therefore is that Canada can’t legally join the EU because it’s not culturally, politically or geographically European, and a hypothetical Canadian application would therefore require a legal overhaul of the treaties.

Current feeling as a Canadian

At the same time,

Lockheed Martin offers to create more jobs in Canada if Ottawa commits to full order for F-35 fighter jets

Seriously, how many jobs can Lockheed Martin offers?

Canuck🍁AI thinks it’s better to pursue manufacturing of Chinese EVs.

Boeing to make inferior versions of fighter jet F-47 to allies because “some day maybe they’re not our allies, right?”

Boeing to make inferior versions of fighter jet F-47 to allies because “some day maybe they’re not our allies, right?”
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