 In the 1950s, the primary purpose of the Canadian Army was to fight against the Red Army in Central Europe if World War Three broke out.During the Pearson years and even more so under Trudeau, there was a tendency on the part of the government to cut military spending and to shift the role of the Canadian Forces over to more as an internal security force.In 1968–69, Trudeau had seriously considered pulling out of NATO and stayed only to avoid damaging relations with the United States and Western Europe.