OTTAWA — Experts on global security and defence are warning that Canada may be forced to start “thinking about the unthinkable,” as U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up his campaign to wrest control of Greenland away from Denmark.
The warnings come as some Canadian media report Canada is mulling whether or not to send troops to Greenland in a show of solidarity with Europe.
Both The Globe and Mail and CBC, citing unnamed sources, reported that Canada has drawn up contingency plans for sending a small contingent of troops to Greenland but hasn’t yet decided to do it.
A small military contingent with troops from France, Germany, Sweden Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the U.K. began arriving in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, last week. Denmark also deployed additional troops to Greenland, a self-governing autonomous zone within the Kingdom of Denmark.
On Saturday, Trump upped the pressure, threatening to impose a 10 per cent tariff on Feb. 1 on all imports from those eight European countries, for opposing his demand to take control of Greenland.
He said that will rise to 25 per cent on June 1 if there isn’t a deal in place that gives the U.S. complete ownership of Greenland.
On Monday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he received a message from Trump on the weekend that said he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” after not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian government does not determine who wins the Nobel Peace Prize, but the selection committee is based in the Nordic country.
Trump’s Sunday message to Gahr Støre, released by the Norwegian government, read in part: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”
It concluded: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
Wesley Wark, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, said Trump’s latest move puts Canada in a difficult situation.
“I would just say this bluntly, is that the concern for the Carney government is fear of retribution should they decide to show their support for an independent Greenland and independent Kingdom of Denmark and show that Canada is committed to the idea of NATO collective security,” Wark said.
On Sunday, when asked about Trump’s latest tariffs and the possibility of sending Canadian troops to Greenland, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was concerned about the U.S. escalation and supports Greenland and Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“There’s a full commitment, not surprisingly — as is appropriate, among NATO members to the security of Greenland,” Carney said during a press conference in Doha, Qatar where he was on an official visit.
He said he would say that to Trump as well, if the two speak. They are both set to be in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum but aren’t currently expected to have a meeting there.
Carney did not directly answer a question about the possibility of Canada deploying military to respond in Greenland. He said Greenland is protected through NATO and Canada is committed to working with alliance partners to increase Arctic defence capabilities.
“I had conversations with the NATO secretary-general in Paris 10 days ago… about how we’re going to further enhance that security umbrella. It’s something that Canada is working on already,” Carney said, referring to efforts to enhance Canada’s security in the Arctic.
Neither the Prime Minister’s Office, nor the office of Defence Minister David McGuinty, have responded to a request from The Canadian Press for information on Canada’s military plans in Greenland.
A statement from Defence Minister David McGuinty’s press secretary to The Canadian Press last week says the Canadian Armed Forces are not initiating new operations, but have several joint operations with European allies, including in Greenland.
Norad issued a statement on social media Monday that alliance aircraft will soon arrive at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. The statement says American and Canadian aircraft will support “long-planned” activities meant to strengthen defence ties between North America and Denmark.
The statement says all activities are being done in coordination with Denmark and have received all necessary diplomatic clearances.
Robert Huebert, director of the Centre for Military Security and Strategic Studies and University of Calgary political science professor, said Trump’s text message to Norway’s prime minister sounds like something a fictional “mad king” would say.
Huebert said he believes Canada is trying to keep a low profile for now as the government determines what course of action to take. He said while vocal support has been lent to Greenland and European allies, it is a reality that Canada has historically “not pulled its weight” on Arctic security under both NATO and Norad.
“What do you say to an individual that says that he’s going to hold his breath until he turns blue and gets the Nobel Prize as the explanation for why he is threatening a war against Greenland?” Huebert said.
“And so I think that the Carney government probably is realizing that anything that it would say in favour of Greenland is going to have a direct response on the part of the Trump administration.”
Trump has continually said if the U.S. doesn’t control Greenland, then Russia or China will seize the Danish territory, despite a lack of evidence either nation is mulling a ground invasion.
While Canada’s last defence policy update warns of Russian and Chinese Arctic ambitions, primarily around trade routes and resource rights, Huebert said the best way to continue regional security is through a strong NATO presence — something Trump threatens by going after an ally.
“If NATO, in fact, is so severely damaged or basically eliminated, that means that the Russians all of a sudden have a much greater access through the (Greenland-Iceland-U.K.) Gap, because that is defended by NATO’s naval forces,” Huebert said.
“Trump is taking action that actually makes it easier for the Russians and the Chinese to threaten the region. That’s the bizarre part.”
Wark agrees with Huebert that Trump’s message to Norway about Greenland is “completely mad and bonkers,” but it sends a message to NATO allies that they are entering an era of the unthinkable — one where a NATO member is talking about attacking another ally.
“I think the Canadian government is going to have to start thinking about the unthinkable, frankly. And the notion that we can continue to consider the United States as a reliable security partner, military partner in Norad, I think no longer holds true,” Wark said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2026.
— With files from The Associated Press.
David Baxter, The Canadian Press
