King Charles and Queen Camilla visits Canada House in Trafalgar Square last week to mark 100 years since it opened.Arthur Edwards/Reuters
Evan H. Potter is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Ottawa and was the founding editor of the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal.
When King Charles III steps onto Canadian soil to open our Parliament this week – only the third time a British monarch has done so since 1957 – it symbolizes far more than ceremonial nostalgia. In fact, it signals a critical turning point, one that beckons Canada and Britain to embrace a revitalized alliance grounded in what might be termed “strategic pragmatism.”
Why now? Because the world around us is unravelling faster than our conventional alliances can keep up. Gaza and Ukraine burn, authoritarianism is on the rise, and climate change accelerates unchecked.
Worst of all, our historical anchor – the United States – has never been more unpredictable. Washington, under an isolationist Trump administration, has thrown into doubt its commitments to NATO and, stunningly, even threatened military action against traditional allies, as in the case of Denmark and Greenland. This isn’t your grandparents’ transatlantic order; it‘s a geopolitical free-for-all.
Canada and Britain, each facing unprecedented uncertainty, find themselves forced into strategic realignment. Prime Minister Mark Carney articulated this starkly when he declared the old Canada-U.S. relationship, based on integrated economies and joint security operations, to be effectively over.
This is the moment that Canada and Britain must seize – moving beyond nostalgia and comfortable platitudes to practical, hard-nosed collaboration.
As King Charles’s arrival nears, the mood in Ottawa ranges from excitement to indifference
Let‘s talk economic pragmatism. With Brexit shaking Britain’s traditional ties to Europe, and the Trump White House wielding tariffs against Ottawa as blunt instruments of economic coercion, both countries urgently need new economic pathways.
Here, Canada’s immense critical mineral reserves – vital to clean energy and advanced technologies – match perfectly with Britain’s technological and financial capacities. This isn’t just about diversification; it‘s about survival in a future where resource security equates to national security.
We must move beyond mere trade continuity agreements and embrace a truly strategic partnership in resource extraction, technology sharing, and mutual investment. This is no mere economic exchange; it‘s a new type of economic alliance.
Next, we should consider defence pragmatism. Mr. Trump’s volatility is forcing Canada to rethink decades of reliance on American military procurement and strategic protection. With nearly 75 per cent of Canada’s defence spending currently funnelling into U.S. systems, diversification isn’t optional – it‘s imperative.
Already, Canada is deepening defence ties with Australia, notably through a groundbreaking $6-billion Arctic radar deal. This model could – and should – extend to Britain. Enhanced bilateral collaboration on Arctic security, cybersecurity and intelligence sharing within our Five Eyes alliance could transform our defence relationship into a genuine force multiplier.
Looking back at King Charles’s royal visits to Canada
Together, Canada and Britain could develop joint capacities independent of an increasingly unreliable U.S. security umbrella, ensuring our voices aren’t just heard – they’re heeded – in global security councils.
Finally, there’s multilateral pragmatism. With multilateralism itself under assault, Ottawa and London can form a crucial diplomatic axis to reinforce and reshape global institutions.
Just as Canada and Britain once co-operated successfully on the landmark Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, and fought together in Afghanistan, we can again join forces to lead on international issues, from climate action to hybrid warfare.
Equally crucial, our combined diplomatic weight could influence – and if needed, counterbalance – American isolationism within institutions like NATO, the G7, and even the United Nations. The ability to nudge, cajole, or steer our larger, wayward ally toward constructive engagement is not a luxury; it‘s an existential necessity.
Critics might dismiss this vision as reactionary, a mere tactical response to temporary geopolitical shocks. That would be short-sighted. Strategic pragmatism is not about abandoning the United States, nor simply hedging bets until Mr. Trump leaves office or China’s expansionism falters.
It’s about Ottawa and London launching the largest defence spending increases since the Cold War. It’s about reaffirming Western soft power by uniting Canada’s and Britain’s cultural statecraft to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It‘s about building a robust bilateral framework that can withstand political hurricanes, ensuring stability and promoting democratic resilience in a turbulent century.
This renewed Canada-Britain alliance, far from being a fallback plan, must be a pro-active choice – a deliberate alignment of interests, resources, and capacities. It means leveraging our shared heritage not nostalgically, but as a foundation for forward-looking co-operation.
When King Charles opens Parliament, Canadians should see more than royal pomp. We should see an opportunity – a pivotal chance to reshape our foreign policy to better reflect the realities of a world that has already moved beyond old alliances.
It‘s time for Canada and Britain to step confidently together into a strategically pragmatic partnership, poised not only to navigate the age of chaos, but to thrive within it.