As Europe rearms, Canada has what it needs. That can be the basis of a post-NATO alliance

Faintly, but not slowly, the outlines of a new world order are coming into view — a world order of large power blocs and with far fewer rules than the one that is now slipping away.

It remains unclear where Canada will fit into that new world. But there are hints of what could be the path forward for this country as it grapples with the painful realization that its strongest and closest ally has turned on it, every new day bringing shocking evidence of Washington's embrace of the Kremlin.

European officials have entered into talks with Canada that aim to incorporate this country into a new defence production partnership, potentially allowing Canadian firms to bid for contracts as Europe prepares to rearm on a massive scale.

"We've been in talks with the European Union to make sure that we could work on defence procurement together," Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told CBC's Power & Politics host David Cochrane on Wednesday. 

"I think it's yielding toward good news because ultimately we need to make sure that we can be closer to the Europeans … including defence procurement."

Christian Leuprecht, of the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen's University, Canada needs to make a concrete offer to Europe as the continent quickly re-evaluates its security positioning.

"The single greatest risk to Canada has always been Canada alone in the world," he said. "If Europe goes it alone in its decision-making and its ability to defend itself and so forth, it's going to need Canada even less than it does now."

In the three weeks since the Oval Office fiasco in which U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European leaders have made remarkable strides toward a new alliance focused on defending Ukraine and the rest of the continent from Russian aggression.

The question is, how much room is there for Canada in this alliance?

European leaders are in the midst of an unprecedented overhaul of their continent's collective defence.

"We live in the most significant and dangerous time," said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, announcing a huge mobilization package for the rearmament of Europe on a scale not seen in decades.

"In this world," said EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola, "we cannot afford to depend on others to keep us safe."

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed his nation on prime-time television: "I want to believe that the United States will remain by our side. But we need to be ready."

Tom Enders, former Airbus chief and head of the German Council on Foreign Relations, went further: "We can't close our eyes to the fact that the United States is now an adversary."