OTTAWA — A Liberal cabinet minister and former member of the armed forces is dismissing U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments about NATO allies staying off the front lines in Afghanistan.

Trump downplayed the contributions of the United States’ NATO partners in a media interview Thursday when he claimed that troops from allied nations “stayed a little back” from the front lines in Afghanistan.

Culture Minister Marc Miller, who served as a reservist, told reporters Friday that Canadians made “great sacrifices” during the 13-year deployment in Afghanistan and everyone knows Trump’s comments are “false.”

Some 158 members of the Canadian Armed Forces were killed in Afghanistan as part of the multilateral operation launched when the United States invoked NATO articles in response to the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks.

Trump has routinely talked down the role of NATO in modern geopolitics and questioned whether allies would come to the United States’ aid in a conflict.

Miller made the comments in Quebec City on Friday, where the Liberals were wrapping up two days of cabinet meetings ahead of the return of Parliament on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2026.

—With files from Catherine Morrison in Quebec City

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press