Ahead of trip, Anand says all military aid options to Ukraine still on the table
Defence Minister Anita Anand says Canada remains open to enhancing military aid to Ukraine amid rising tensions with Russia, a message she will convey to her Ukrainian counterpart during an upcoming trip to the country.
In an interview on CTV鈥檚 Question Period airing Sunday, Anand said the greatest contribution Canada can provide to Ukraine at this time is human resources, touting the government鈥檚 announcement last week to extend and expand Operation UNIFIER.
鈥淲e have trained over 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers and our training in Ukraine has been universally recognized as important, especially among our NATO allies, to the stability and security of Ukraine,鈥 she said.
鈥淪o in terms of further aid, we put on the table non lethal weapons [last] week, we put on the table $120 million for economic stability the week before and we will continue to raise all options when I am meeting with Minister [Reznikov] in the coming days.鈥
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last Wednesday a three-year extension of the military operation, which was scheduled to expire in March 2022. The government said 60 more Canadian troops, on top of the 200 already stationed there, will be deployed in the coming days.
The operation鈥檚 focus is to assist with security force training.
The commitment also includes a shipment of non-lethal equipment, intelligence sharing, and support to combat cyberattacks in response to escalating tensions at the western Ukraine border where more than 100,000 Russian troops have amassed, prompting concerns of an imminent invasion.
Ukraine has asked Canada for lethal weapons, among other requests, as a form of deterrence of a Russian attack.
Andrii Bukvych, charge d'affaires at the Ukrainian Embassy to Canada, welcomed the government鈥檚 Wednesday announcement but pointed to a recent that shows a majority of Canadians are in favour or sending weapons to Ukraine.
鈥淲e are looking forward to see the next strong steps in Canada before the Russian boots step on the Ukrainian ground,鈥 the statement reads.
Asked whether Canada would consider redirecting million of dollars worth of military equipment originally intended for Kurdish forces in Iraq to Ukraine, Anand reiterated that all options remain on the table.
鈥淲e will continue to consider all options going forward. This is the reason I am travelling to Ukraine, to lay out our support for Ukraine and to ensure they know that we remain steadfast in our support in this time of unwarranted Russian aggression at their border,鈥 she said.
Russia continues to deny claims of an imminent invasion and states that troops are simply performing routine military exercises.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CTV News Channel鈥檚 Power Play last Friday that should Russia encroach further, allies will be prepared to impose 鈥渟evere sanctions.鈥
鈥淭here will be a high price to pay for Russia. Economic, diplomatic, financial sanctions that are agreed [upon] among NATO allies,鈥 he said, adding that Ukraine will be prepared to defend itself.
鈥淯kraine has of course a right to self defence, this is enshrined in the UN charter and therefore we are helping them in different ways to uphold that right to self defence.鈥
In addition to visiting Ukraine, Anand will travel to Latvia to meet with Canadian troops stationed there.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca 星空传媒
Israel kills top Hezbollah figure in Beirut strike, Reuters sources say
Top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed on Friday in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, two security sources told Reuters.
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.
DEVELOPING Here's what we know about Israel's latest strike in Beirut
Israel鈥檚 military has struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon鈥檚 capital, in a dramatic escalation in a year-long period of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.
Passenger on a previous Titan sub dive says his mission was aborted due to apparent malfunction
A paid passenger on an expedition to the Titanic with the company that owned the Titan submersible testified before a U.S. Coast Guard investigatory panel Friday that the mission he took part in was aborted due to an apparent mechanical failure.
Cognitive decline reduced by MIND diet, especially for women and Black people, study finds
Following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, concentration and memory problems, a new study found.
The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.
Local Spotlight
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.
David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.
Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.