‘Canada is a sovereign nation’: PMO responds to Trump’s Golden Dome offer

U.S. President Trump made a 51st state comment on social media when referencing the cost on Canada to participate in his 'Golden Dome' plan.

Canada’s participation in the Golden Dome system would cost US$61 billion, U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post Tuesday.

The missile defence shield would come at a hefty cost unless Canada accepts to join the U.S. as a state, he added.

“I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State,” he wrote.

In a statement to CTV News, the Prime Minister’s Office wrote: “the prime minister has been clear at every opportunity, including in his conversations with President Trump, that Canada is an independent, sovereign nation, and it will remain one.”

The president’s post came hours after King Charles III gave his speech from the throne to open Parliament.

In that speech, the King reiterated Canada’s sovereignty saying, “the true north is indeed strong and free.”

He also spoke on Canada’s relationship with the U.S., saying the two “have begun defining a new economic and security relationship … to deliver transformational benefits for both sovereign nations.”

Canada and the Golden Dome

Trump revealed the Golden Dome defence system in a press conference last week, saying it’ll be able to intercept missiles launched from the other side of the world, or from space, and will come with a US$175-billion price tag.

“Canada has called us, and they want to be a part of it,” Trump said at the time. “We are dealing with them on pricing. They know about it very much.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed interest in investing in the Golden Dome, but wouldn’t mention the cost of joining.

“We are conscious that we have an ability, if we so choose, to complete the Golden Dome with investments and partnerships,” he said in a press conference a day after Trump’s announcement.

“It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level, but not I’m not sure one negotiates on this. These are military decisions that have been taken in that context, and we will evaluate it accordingly.”