Category Archives: Defence
Ottawa weighing ballistic missile defence as part of North American defence upgrades
OTTAWA — Canada is weighing whether to reverse course and finally join the U.S. in defending against long-range ballistic missiles, Defence Minister Anita Anand said Tuesday, while declining to provide specific plans for upgrading North America’s aging...
Canada makes US$99M payment as part of deal to foot more of bill for developing F-35
Ottawa has made a multimillion-dollar payment as part of a renegotiated deal that is expected to see Canada foot more of the bill for developing the F-35 than in previous years. The US$99-million payment and renegotiated deal come despite the fact
Military dealing with gap in search-and-rescue services due to new procurement delay
OTTAWA — The Royal Canadian Air Force is relocating two aircraft from Winnipeg to Vancouver Island to address a gap in Canada’s search-and-rescue coverage, the result of yet another delay in Canada’s troubled military procurement system. Air Force comm...
Canada’s ambassador will return to Ukraine as soon as it’s safe, Joly says
OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada's ambassador to Ukraine will return to the country as soon as it is safe to do so, but neither she nor the prime minister would say whether they are planning to
Punish Russia for sex crimes against Ukrainian women and children: Ukraine ambassador
OTTAWA — Ukraine's ambassador-designate to Canada says Russia must be held accountable for its troops committing sex crimes, including against children. Yulia Kovaliv told MPs at a House of Commons committee that Russia is using sexual violence as a w...
Military must better accommodate troops with exceptional family needs: watchdog
OTTAWA — Canada's military watchdog is calling on the Armed Forces to better accommodate troops with disabled children and other exceptional family circumstances, warning some are being forced to choose between their loved ones and their careers. While...
Defence Minister Anita Anand talks Ukraine, Norad with U.S. counterpart at Pentagon
WASHINGTON — Defence Minister Anita Anand's first official visit to the Pentagon proved long on familiar diplomatic bromides Thursday, but offered little public-facing progress on urgent North American military priorities like the war in Ukraine or upg...
Nearly 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces members denied COVID-19 vaccine exemptions
OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces says over three-quarters of the more than 1,300 service members who applied for an exemption from the military’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement have had their requests denied. Vice-chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. F...
Canada pushing G7 on new laws to seize and repurpose frozen Russian assets: Joly
OTTAWA — The federal government is working with G7 allies to craft new legislation that would allow for not just the freezing of sanctioned Russian assets, but seizing them on behalf of Ukrainian war victims. The recent federal budget declared Canada's...
Foreign affairs minister, U.S. counterpart discuss next steps in Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada and the United States will continue to exert "maximum pressure" on Russia in response to its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Joly made the statement on Twitter following a video meeting with