The Suspension of the Canada-U.S. Defence Board: What it Means for Trust and Defence Cooperation

The Permanent Joint Board on Defence (PJBD), a long-standing but low-profile mechanism for Canada–U.S. defence coordination, has recently been suspended, raising questions about the state of institutional dialogue underpinning North American security cooperation. While operational channels such as NORAD remain in place, the pause in this advisory forum has prompted broader reflection on how Canada and the United States manage strategic coordination and trust.

On this week’s episode of the Expert Series, Dr. Chris Sands examines the suspension of the PJBD and what it signals for Canada–U.S. defence relations at a time of growing political strain and evolving security priorities.

He discusses the role of institutional mechanisms in shaping Canada–U.S. defence cooperation beyond day-to-day military operations, and how forums like the PJBD have historically supported alignment on emerging threats and capability planning.

The episode also explores the implications of the suspension for bilateral trust and predictability, and considers whether increasingly transactional approaches risk weakening the informal and institutional foundations of continental defence cooperation.

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