The United States had a classified plan to conquer Canada in 1930 and a new report is pointing to that plan as further proof that the relationship between the two allies has always been on wobbly ground.
"War Plan Red" would focus on a multipronged approach using "ground forces, amphibious landing and then mass internments," Canadian reporter Leyland Cecco wrote for The Guardian. "First, American forces would strike with poison gas munitions, seizing a strategically valuable port city. Soldiers would sever undersea cables, destroy bridges and rail lines to paralyze infrastructure. Major cities on the shores of lakes and rivers would be captured in order to blunt any civilian resistance."
AlterNet reported last week that the Canadian military was developing war plans for a conflict with the United States that focused on "mass casualties" following aggressive rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
Since taking office a little over one year ago, he has made repeated "jokes" about annexing Canada and making it the 51st state in the U.S. That then evolved into a desire to take the Arctic island of Greenland. Trump has threatened trade wars with Canada and NATO countries, all while seizing oil fields in Venezuela.
Trump's Davos barbs at Prime Minister Mark Carney — calling him “weak” for resisting U.S. “sharing” of wealth — prompted a unified backlash from Western nations. While Canadian officials say that the Canadian plans are precautionary, and not expectant, a 2025 poll shows 43 percent of Canadians see an invasion as somewhat likely.
Thomas Homer-Dixon, a Canadian conflict researcher who runs the Cascade Institute, told The Guardian that Canada needs to deepen relationships with its Scandinavian allies and look to an enduring framework
“If you attack us, you may ultimately succeed, but it’s going to really hurt," said Homer-Dixon.
He argued that Trump's unpredictability with eroding alliances is now mixing with the United States’ historical brute force doctrine, only causing further concerns on the global stage.
“At the end of the day, we spent decades building a deep economic, social and cultural relationship within a country that can change its character very quickly. Economists told us integration would make two countries incapable of harming each other,” he continued. “But this idea of ‘might makes right’ has always been this recessive cultural gene of the United States. And we fooled ourselves into thinking it had gone away. But it has re-emerged to the surface because it never left.”
The message from the U.S. neighbor to the north is clear: It will defend its sovereignty at all costs.