Canada's Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said on Tuesday that Ottawa does not plan to pay the $1-billion US price tag for a permanent seat on U.S. President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" that will oversee the governance and reconstruction of Gaza, MSN reports.
"There [are] a lot of details to be worked out, but one thing which is clear is that Canada is not going to pay if we were to join the Board of Peace," Champagne told reporters Tuesday morning on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Champagne's comments come after Prime Minister Mark Carney — one of the 60 world leaders asked to join the board — accepted the invitation, though on Sunday said his officials hadn't gone through "all the details of the structure, how it's going to work, what the financing is for, etcetera."
"We're still early days [into] that what's going to be the terms of reference of that board, how it's going to operate," Champagne said.
"The prime minister will have to make the final decision when all the facts are known and all the details have been hammered out — whether this is in the best interest of Canada."
Member states on the board — which would be chaired for life by Trump — would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay $1 billion US each to fund the board's activities and earn permanent membership, according to the letter.
In a post on X, the White House said the permanent membership is offered to partner countries "who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity."
