Canada talking to the US about joining Golden Dome missile defence system

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government is talking to the US about joining president Donald Trump’s future Golden Dome missile defence programme.

The multilayered, 175 billion dollar (£83.9 billion) system would for the first time put US weapons in space.

Mr Trump said the previous day he expected the system to be fully operational by the end of his term in 2029.

“Is it a good idea for Canada? Yes, it is good to have protections in place for Canadians,” Mr Carney said on Wednesday.

Mr Carney confirmed he has had talks with Mr Trump about it and said there are discussions with senior officials.

Mr Trump said the Canadian government had contacted his administration, indicating it wants to join the programme and that he will work with Ottawa to ensure it contributes its “fair share”.

Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground- and space-based capabilities to detect and stop missiles at all four major stages of a potential attack: detecting and destroying them before a launch, intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air, or halting them in the final minutes as they descend towards a target.

“It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level,” Mr Carney said.

Mr Carney warned that Canada faces potential missile threats in the “not-too-distant future” that could come from space.

“Is Canada going to be doing this alone or with the United States? Because with a Golden Dome, there will be discussions that could have an impact on Canada, but Canada wouldn’t be a part of them,” Mr Carney said.

The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary.

Golden Dome’s added satellites and interceptors, where the bulk of the program’s cost is, would be focused on stopping those advanced missiles early on or in the middle of their flight.

Canada and the US are partners in the North American Aerospace Defence Command, the combined organisation that provides shared defence of airspace over the two nations.

The newly elected Mr Carney spent much spent much of the last few months saying the old relationship with the US, based on steadily increasing integration, is over.

Mr Trump has infuriated Canadians by saying Canada should be the 51st state.

“We cooperate if necessary, but not necessarily cooperate,” Mr Carney said.