This week, Canada and the global intelligence community were shocked and concerned at the suggestion that the White House was considering removing Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. On Tuesday, The Financial Times reported that Donald Trump’s trade and manufacturingadviser Peter Navarro, a trusted consigliere to the president, was lobbying the administration to kick Canada out of the intelligence-sharing group, which also includes the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Navarro was quick to deny the reports, calling it “crazy stuff,” and adding “We would never, ever jeopardize our national security ever with allies like Canada. Ever.” But the FT, which stands behind its reporting, has sources in the administration who say Navarro’s threats to cut Canada out of the Five Eyes alliance is a tactic for pushing the country to fall in line on Trump’s demands on trade, border security, and defense spending.
CTV News reporter Stefanie Ha spoke with former Justin Trudeau national security and intelligence advisor Vincent Rigby, who said the Five Eyes threat could indeed be a “pressure point” the Trump administration is exploiting, similar to a tactic the president used during his first term by threatening to withhold intelligence from Canada.