The Price of Alliance: The Politics and Procurement of Leopard Tanks for Canada’s NATO Brigade

The first major reappraisal of Pierre Trudeau’s controversial defence policy, The Price of Alliance uses the 1976 procurement of Leopard tanks for Canada’s troops in Europe to shed light on Canada’s relationship with NATO. After six years of pressure from Canada’s allies, Trudeau was convinced that Canadian tanks in Europe were necessary to support foreign policy objectives, and the tanks symbolized an increased Canadian commitment to NATO. Drawing on interviews and records from Canada, NATO, the United States, and Germany, Frank Maas addresses the problems of defence policymaking within a multi-country alliance and the opportunities and difficulties of Canadian defence procurement.