The Canadian government has confirmed it’s in active talks with the United States regarding participation in the newly unveiled “Golden Dome” missile defense system — a massive project championed by US President Donald Trump, aimed at defending against next-generation aerial threats.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office stated that discussions are ongoing with Washington over deepening security cooperation, including through potential involvement in emerging programs like the Golden Dome. While no final decisions have been made, officials described the discussions as “constructive and wide-ranging.”
Trump first revealed the Golden Dome project shortly after returning to office, pitching it as a technologically advanced missile shield capable of intercepting threats from across the globe — or even from space. Drawing inspiration from Israel’s Iron Dome system, the US version is envisioned on a vastly larger scale, integrating land, sea, and space-based interceptors, supported by thousands of satellites.
“Canada has expressed interest in being part of this,” Trump said during a recent Oval Office briefing. “They want protection too — and as always, we’re there to help.”
However, the financial and logistical hurdles are considerable. While an initial $25 billion has been allocated to kickstart the project, Trump has since estimated the total cost at $175 billion. The US Congressional Budget Office has placed the potential long-term cost much higher — possibly exceeding $542 billion over two decades for just the space-based components.
Canada’s potential involvement comes at a delicate time in US-Canada relations. Trump has recently ramped up pressure on Ottawa over trade disputes, at one point suggesting Canada might fare better as the 51st US state. Ironically, that provocation is said to have sparked a surge of patriotic fervor north of the border, contributing to Prime Minister Carney’s recent electoral landslide.
“Canadians gave the prime minister a clear mandate to secure a renewed economic and security framework with the US,” said Carney’s spokesperson Audrey Champoux. “Our discussions naturally include modernizing NORAD and exploring collaborative defence programs like the Golden Dome.”
NORAD, the long-standing bi-national defense agreement between the US and Canada since 1958, is already undergoing modernization. But Golden Dome would be an unprecedented expansion in scope — a bold attempt to counter rapidly evolving threats such as hypersonic missiles and orbital weapons.
Yet many defense analysts remain skeptical. Marion Messmer of Chatham House noted the geographic and technical scale required to implement such a system in North America would be far more complex than Israel’s Iron Dome. Shashank Joshi, defense editor at The Economist, added that while the Pentagon will likely pursue the idea with serious intent, expecting full implementation within Trump’s current term is “unrealistic” and would likely consume a large share of the US defense budget.
Canada’s role in the project, if it proceeds, remains undefined — both in terms of cost and operational contribution. Still, former Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair previously described the initiative as “in the national interest” and something Canada should consider supporting.
With tensions rising globally and technology advancing rapidly, Ottawa appears keen to ensure it is not left out of the next major evolution in continental defense — even if the golden shield comes with a hefty price tag and more questions than answers.