Canada expresses interest in joining AUKUS defense pact

Americas, News, US May 11, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The Canadian government has expressed interest in deepening non-nuclear cooperation with the U.S.-led AUKUS defense pact. The trilateral defense alliance between the U.S., Australia, and Britain was made to counter Beijing’s increasing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Canada’s Defense Minister Anita Anand said on May 8, 2023, that Ottawa is interested in increasing cooperation with the AUKUS alliance particularly in information-sharing and development of advanced technologies. Upon being asked whether Canada has already contacted the AUKUS to be a part of it, Anand declined to give a direct answer.

“Canada is highly interested in furthering cooperation on AI, quantum computing, and other advanced technologies with a defense nexus with our closest allies.” Anand refrained to mention cooperation on the transfer of nuclear technology, which is one of the key elements of the AUKUS alliance, indicating that Canada seeks cooperation only on non-nuclear components of the AUKUS.

Being a member of the Five Eyes, Canada already has an established intelligence and information-sharing network with the AUKUS countries and New Zealand, the fifth member of the Five Eyes.

This is the first time that a high-level Canadian official has expressed interest in being a part of the AUKUS alliance. Canada and New Zealand’s exclusion from the initial AUKUS defense pact was seen as a snub by many observers as the two countries already have an established intelligence-sharing network with the AUKUS allies.

*^{Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand. (Image Credit: Anita Anand official Facebook page)}*

“Our ties with our Five Eyes allies are strong, and indeed we remain interested in furthering cooperation in AI and other innovation efforts with our allies,” Anand said in her statement.

The trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK, and the US was made in 2021. The US and the UK are planning to transfer high-level nuclear submarine technology to Australia. Many observers believe the alliance is solely focused on countering China’s growing maritime influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia is set to receive the first batch of five nuclear-powered submarines by 2030.

The AUKUS deal was denounced by France, which lost its own submarine deal due to the trilateral defense pact. In order to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, Australia unilaterally canceled a $65 billion submarine deal with France. French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called the AUKUS deal a “stab in the back”.

The AUKUS deal also gathered concerns from regional actors such as Malaysia and Indonesia as the presence of too many nuclear-powered submarines in the Pacific Ocean could spark a race for nuclear arms in the region.