A very quiet queue has formed in Europe where some of Canada’s long-standing, closest allies are seeking shelter under France’s small but robust nuclear umbrella.

The initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, who declared the next 50 years to be the “era of nuclear weapons,” is — on paper — intended to add another layer of deterrence to NATO’s American-backed security guarantees.

Once again — on paper — Russia is the adversary that needs deterring.

But with U.S. President Donald Trump once again trash-talking NATO allies over their reluctance to join his war in the Middle East and the sensational — but hardly surprising — Financial Times report that Denmark was preparing to put up a fight to defend Greenland against American annexation, a whole new dimension emerges to the French advanced nuclear deterrence strategy.