Canada could send more soldiers to Eastern Europe if the situation requires it, according to Minister Mélanie Joly.
Passing through the Citadel of Quebec to meet her counterparts from the Baltic countries, the Minister of Foreign Affairs recalled that 3,400 Canadian soldiers are “in reserve”, many of whom are based near Quebec.
“So if NATO needs a bigger Canadian presence, we know that NATO has 3,400 soldiers at its disposal. And why it is relevant for people here in Quebec is that many of these soldiers come from [the military base of] Valcartier, “said Ms. Joly during a joint press conference with representatives of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
According to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), 495 soldiers from Valcartier are currently deployed in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe as part of the “REASSURANCE” deterrence mission.
By the fall, most should be home and will be replaced by personnel from other regiments to maintain the Canadian presence.
Important deployment
Approximately 1,300 CAF members are currently on Latvian soil, making REASSURANCE the largest Canadian military deployment internationally at this time.
Latvian Foreign Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica stressed her people’s “gratitude” to Canada for their support.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has radically changed the world situation,” she added.
The diplomats’ discussions focused on coordinating efforts to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ensure “collective security” and prevent energy and food crises stemming from the conflict.
“We are also putting maximum pressure on the Putin regime by imposing severe sanctions on it and we are having an undeniable impact,” assured Ms. Joly.
Chinese maneuvers worry
In another case, Minister Joly said she was “extremely concerned” by recent maneuvers by Chinese aircraft which, according to the Canadian army, would have endangered the safety of some of its crews.
“It is sure that this is a question that I will raise because I am extremely concerned about the question”, affirmed Ms. Joly, speaking of a “gesture which is significant”, but avoiding to qualify the whole thing as assault.
The incidents allegedly took place between April 26 and May 26, 2022 as part of surveillance operations to prevent North Korea’s circumvention of international sanctions.
In some cases, the CAF says, patrol planes had to quickly alter their own course to avoid a potential collision.
Such “interactions” in international airspace are “increasingly frequent,” according to a CAF statement released Wednesday.
