Canada in Talks to Join US ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defence Plan

The Canadian government says it is talking with the US about joining a new missile defence system. The system is called Golden Dome. It aims to stop "next-generation" threats from the air.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's office said talks with the US are ongoing. These talks cover both old and new security plans, including Golden Dome.

US President Donald Trump announced the new system earlier on Tuesday. He said the first $25 billion will go toward building it. Trump also said that Canada is interested in joining.

Experts have raised questions about how the US will build such a big system. It is also unclear what Canada’s role would be or how much it would cost them.

Canada’s interest comes during talks with the US about trade and safety. These talks started after Trump threatened to add high taxes to Canadian goods. He also said Canada would be better as a US state.

This upset many Canadians. It helped Carney’s Liberal party win a big election victory.

"Canadians gave the prime minister a strong job to build a new deal with the US," said Audrey Champoux, a spokesperson for Carney.

She said the talks include working on NORAD and new ideas like Golden Dome.

But she added that it is still too early to say what Canada might pay or how the system would work for them.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump said Canada wants to be part of Golden Dome.

"We’ll talk with them," he said. "They want to be safe too, and we always help Canada."

Trump said the system would be ready before he leaves office. He said the full cost could reach $175 billion. He also said Canada should "pay their fair share."

Canada and the US already work together on NORAD. This group watches the skies and seas for threats. It can also stop cruise missiles.

NORAD has been around since 1958. Canada and the US have talked in recent years about how to update it.

Trump said Golden Dome would stop new, smart weapons. It would use sensors and missile stoppers in space.

He said it could even stop missiles from far away or from space.

The plan is based in part on Israel’s Iron Dome. That system has stopped rockets since 2011.

But some experts are not sure if the US can build such a big system. The US is much larger than Israel.

Shashank Joshi, a defence editor, said the US might try to use many satellites. These would find missiles and send space weapons to stop them.

He said the US military will take the plan seriously. But he also said it likely won’t be finished during Trump’s time in office. The high cost may also be a problem.

The US Congressional Budget Office says the space parts alone could cost $542 billion over 20 years.