OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is throwing cold water on any suggestion the Liberal government plans to sign on to ballistic missile defence, or that it might send troops back into Afghanistan.
The debate over whether Canada should be part of the U.S.’s continental missile-defence shield has been rekindled in recent days following concerns about North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal.
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U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan has also resurrected questions about whether Canada will be asked to follow suit.
Speaking in Montreal, Trudeau says keeping Canadians safe is the government’s top priority.
But in his strongest comments yet on the subject, Trudeau says Canada’s long-standing decision not to join ballistic missile defence won’t change any time soon.
The prime minister says the same holds true for Afghanistan, which the last Canadian troops left nearly three years ago.
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