I am uncertain if your assessment would hold up to close scrutiny, Charmion, nor whether Swedens case would be the only optiion to consider, nor am I certain that the only option was to totally disentangle Canada from all defensive military alliances?

In recent years, Canada, given it's size, has taken on a disproportionate size of the military load in non-defensive military adventures, forvexamole, in the Middle East. Canada has done well, reputation wise, in the past focusing on United Nations sanctioned initiatives. Canada, like many nations is a member if NATO. Note that while many countries participate in joint NATO defense, not all have chosen the recent course of Canada, and I suspect suffered not much, if any, economic consequenes.

Generally, economic and trade alliances and trade differ. As to the G8, Canada is not a member because if our military might. Japan, forvexample, hardly suffers economically because it is not dropping bombs in the Middle East.

I note Leslie was not selected as Defense Minister. Maybe it is for other reasons, but, there was cobsiderable concern about his potential appointment on the east coast, which has high hopes for Trudeaus election time comnents supporting the Navy.
While I support military spending, especially for genuine national defense, peace keeping and UN santioned missions, the billions spent in agressive (many oil supply inspired) military adventors, has accomplished little ( beyond making enemies with locals, that is). However, this spending has taken resources from military spending to defend our own countries interests and borders - for example in the north. (While search and rescue has a DND lead, supported by other departments, it is hardly ever considered a "primary role").




But if Canada were to make like Sweden and disentangle itself from its web of military alliances in favour of a focus on domestic requirements such as search-and-rescue, the result would be a massive loss of markets in the United States and, possibly, exclusion from the G8 (or however many are in the club these days). Our branch-plant economy would be shaken to its very foundations.