Canada in talks with the EU to reduce US defence reliance

Canada is in discussions with the European Union to join an EU drive to break its security dependency on the United States, with a focus on buying more defence equipment, including fighter jets, in Europe, a senior Canadian government official confirmed Wednesday.

- AGENCIES

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said the plan includes building fighter jets in Canada.

In Canada, where American President Donald Trump has launched a trade war and has threatened economic coercion to make it the 51st American state, Defence Minister Bill Blair has been tasked by Prime Minister Mark Carney to review the purchase of America's F-35 fighter jets to see if there are other options "given the changing environment," a defence spokesman said on the weekend.

Carney has said the potential for having more production in Canada is a factor. A proposal by Sweden's Saab promised that assembly and maintenance of the Saab Gripen fighter jet would take place in Canada.