Questions, concerns about Trump loom over Halifax defence meeting
Donald Trump’s shadow loomed large as defence ministers and senior military officers from various nations gathered in Halifax on Friday amid questions and concerns about his impact on global security.
Delegates from more than 70 countries are in the city for the Halifax International Security Forum, ostensibly to talk about ways to co-operate on some of the biggest threats facing the world.
But it was Trump and the uncertainty he has brought to long-standing assumptions about global security and the international order, particularly NATO, that dominated the first day of discussions.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and his British counterpart kicked off the annual summit by downplaying concerns that Trump will weaken the military alliance, which has been the bedrock of North American and European security for decades.