Canada’s Arctic will be a ‘tremendous vulnerability,’ Bannon says

Steve Bannon says Canadians should take U.S. President Trump's 51st state comments as 'the greatest compliment you've ever had.' Judy Trinh explains.

At the America’s biggest annual Republican gathering, Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to Donald Trump, is hosting his War Room talk show from the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Convention.

Dozens of people surrounded his CPAC set to watch his broadcast and to snap selfies with the man who helped first install Trump in the Oval Office in 2016.

His show included chats with supporters of Hungary’s ultranationalist leader Victor Orban and “J6ers,” whom he heralded as heroes for participating in the 2021 Capitol riots. When the 71-year-old got off stage, he heaped praise on the president’s machinations to annex Canada.

“For (Trump) to even mention that, and to have the American people say, ‘Hey, this is something we really like,’ Canadians should take that as the greatest compliment you’ve ever had,” Bannon said in an interview with CTV News.

Earlier that morning, in a post to “spur” the American hockey team to victory at the Four Nations Cup final, Trump once again referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “Governor” and wrote on Truth Social that Canada “will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.”

“Trump is a master deal maker,” said Bannon. His former boss promised “lower taxes and stronger security” after annexation, which Bannon says has “compelling logic” to it.

While Trump is the leader of the ‘Make America Great Again’ movement, some consider Bannon to be a key MAGA architect.

Bannon was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to be deposed and provide documents pertaining to the January 6 attack. In 2021, during his last day in office, President Trump pardoned Bannon of all federal charges, including fraud.

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Although Bannon is no longer in the White House, he says he speaks regularly to the president and his team through texts and phone calls.

His podcast regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of listeners, acting as a sort of MAGA barometer.

Bannon believes that the next geopolitical battle will be fought over Canada’s Arctic and the vast trove of natural resources and critical minerals that lie under its melting ice.

“What used to be Canada’s most secure border – the Arctic North – you’re going to have tremendous vulnerability there. … Russia is up there. The Chinese Communist Party is up there.”

Since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the President has said he will ask NATO members to spend five per cent of their GDP on defence. Canada currently spends 1.37 per cent, with a goal of reaching the NATO baseline commitment of two per cent by 2032.

Bannon says Canada does not have the military might or stomach to protect its Arctic interests.

“I think that’s highly unlikely with the Canadian budget, unless you want to cut your health care or your education system,” said Bannon. “The math does not work. You’re going to have major cuts to social programs or raise taxes significantly in Canada.”

Bannon’s comments are ‘arrogant’

Canada’s former top soldier, Ret. Gen. Tom Lawson, called Bannon’s comments “arrogant.”

The former chief of defence points out that the Canadian and American military have worked together to protect the Arctic for nearly 70 years after signing an agreement to create Norad in 1957.

“Let’s strengthen Norad to strengthen surveillance and defence of the Canadian and American North together, in partnership, as we always had before. Why would we have to become the 51st state to do that?” Lawson asked.

Lawson says there have been incursions by Russia and China into the Arctic Archipelago “on top of the ice, underneath the ice, and in the airspace.” But Lawson says these “forays” into the North American airspace, such as the Chinese spy balloon, are nowhere close to the threat imagined by Bannon and Trump.

Lawson says under Norad, Canada and the U.S. have responded to the majority of those incidents effectively.

Canada also plans to commit nearly $40 billion to bolster Arctic security, which includes underwater sensors and investing in unmanned aerial systems to monitor the northern terrain. It purchased new long-range aircraft, and there is talk about building an Arctic military base.

But cooperation is doing little to persuade America’s 47th President. When asked about the timeline, Bannon said that Trump wants to absorb Canada while he’s in power.

“There’s a lot of us right now trying to figure out the capability and possibility (of Trump) running in ‘28 – whether the constitution really prohibits it or not. But for now, the working theory is four years,” Bannon said.