Canada will not pay a reported US$1.0 billion membership fee to participate in President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday, while indicating Ottawa is still evaluating whether to join at all.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Champagne declined to say whether Trump’s invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin would influence Canada’s position.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that he agreed in principle to accept Trump’s invitation to sit on the board, but Champagne said a final determination on Canada’s membership has not yet been made.
“As you know, we’re still early days in what’s going to be the terms of reference of that board, how it’s going to operate,” Champagne said.
The “Board of Peace,” introduced alongside Trump’s Gaza peace plan, was authorized by the UN Security Council through 2027, with a mandate solely focused on the Gaza conflict.
A copy of an invitation letter and a draft charter, however, outline a structure that would chair the organization for life under Trump, begin with the Gaza conflict, and then expand to address other conflicts beyond Gaza.
Trump has described the body as “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled,” and the membership model includes a financial lever: members receive a permanent seat if they pay $1.0 billion, according to a US official. The same official said there is no requirement to contribute funds, but members who do not make the $1.0 billion payment would receive a three-year term.
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