Defence Minister David McGuinty said he did not learn about a report of potential damage to Canadian assets from an Iranian airstrike on an airbase in Kuwait until a Quebec newspaper reported on it. The minister still refuses to confirm if the attack struck or damaged any Canadian assets at the base. "I didn't know about it until La Presse...
The federal government is buying 30,000 new modular assault rifles for the Canadian Army from Colt Canada in a $307 million procurement deal. That sum covers just the first three years of the contract, after which the federal government has the option of acquiring another 35,000 rifles.
Ottawa is spending $1.4-billion to bolster Canada’s domestic ammunition production capacity through the establishment of new facilities to manufacture supplies such as artillery shells and nitrocellulose, a compound used in a range of military munitions. Defence Minister David McGuinty said the funds will be divided between two companies: IMT Precision, based in Ingersoll, Ont., and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical...
Canadian Armed Forces members are "not engaged" in the "prosecution" of the war against Iran, Defence Minister David McGuinty said Tuesday when asked whether some Canadians are serving in support roles. The Canadian Press asked McGuinty at a news conference in Brampton, Ont., whether the Canadian military is involved in the war — and whether Royal Canadian Air Force members...
Prime Minister Mark Carney has responded to the U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Iran with a mix of support and hesitation, leading some to wonder if his position is in need of clarification, while others praise his strategic ambiguity. For Canadians, there’s little in the way of guess work. New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds three-quarters of Canadians (74%)...
U.S. President Donald Trump is struggling to persuade other nations to help protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a development that analysts say is partly the result of treating allies with contempt since returning to the White House last year. Iran has effectively shut down the narrow strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, threatening to...
Canada can successfully navigate President Donald Trump's call for NATO allies to secure the Strait of Hormuz without getting drawn into the war, Defence Minister David McGuinty said Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump warned in an interview with The Financial Times newspaper that it "will be very bad" for the future of NATO if alliance members fail to help secure...
Canada is considering eventual membership in a UK-led multinational rapid response force, but its immediate priority is rebuilding its military and reducing reliance on the US, Defense Minister David McGuinty said. Canada is considering eventual membership in a UK-led multinational rapid response force, but its immediate priority is rebuilding its military and reducing reliance on the US, Defense Minister David...
The former secretary general of NATO says he doesn't think allies will be pulled further into the conflict in the Middle East, but he's concerned the ongoing war with Iran will benefit Russia's economy and take the world's attention away from the invasion of Ukraine. "NATO has never played any important role in important Middle East conflicts," Jens Stoltenberg said...
Canada and its allies are prepared to defend the arctic, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday in Bardufoss, Norway, after observing NATO's Cold Response exercises. He held a news conference alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Asked by a German reporter whether the "conflict" over the Trump administration's demands for Greenland is settled, the...
Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Norway today, where he will observe NATO's Cold Response exercises alongside the Norwegian prime minister. Carney is on the trip at the invitation of Norway, which hosts these joint NATO exercises every two years. This year, about 25,000 troops from 14 different nations are taking part in the exercises, which are aimed at enhancing...
Prime Minister Mark Carney touched down in Norway early Friday where he will get important face time with the Nordic country’s leader and the German chancellor before taking in a major NATO wargaming exercise that includes Canadian troops. Both countries are backing a bid by German submarine-maker TKMS to sell Canada 12 new submarines — a multi-billion dollar program that...
As Canada approaches its second year of deciding whether to buy a full fleet of American-made F-35 fighter jets, Defence Minister David McGuinty is already thinking of joining a British-Italian-Japanese partnership working on a next-generation air force fighter. Joining the so-called Global Combat Air Programme, or GCAP, could make it much harder for Canada to ditch its plan to buy...
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday the government is putting an additional $32 billion into military forward operating locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Iqaluit and Deployed Operating Base 5 Wing in Goose Bay, Nfld. The prime minister made the announcement in Yellowknife on Thursday before taking off for a planned visit to Norway. The $32 billion is part of Canada's...
A Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) base in Kuwait was hit by an Iranian missile attack, during which a fortified shelter was heavily damaged, reveals an investigation by La Presse . The incident, which occurred about ten days ago, was not disclosed to parliamentarians who held an emergency debate on the war this week. The soldiers, who were in another building...
The Business Development Bank of Canada is increasing the funds available to entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of an anticipated boom in defence spending.
As the federal government seeks to bolster its domestic defence industry, Industry Minister Melanie Joly announced more than $900 million for defence innovation in Canada, including money for drone technology with Bombardier. Joly made the announcement in Ottawa on Monday at the National Research Council (NRC), alongside National Defence Minister David McGuinty and Secretary of State (Defence Procurement) Stephen Fuhr...
Mark Carney’s government is slated to announce new investments Monday to strengthen Canada’s defence industrial capabilities, and part of the press briefing is expected to focus on Quebec’s flagship Bombardier. “The announcement will also contain positive elements for Bombardier, reflecting our continued contributions to Canada’s defence and aerospace capabilities,” the company said in a message sent to press agencies...
For a moment there, it looked like Mark Carney would be the torchbearer for countries opposed to Trump’s big power politics. Now, not so much. In fact, it seems Prime Minister Carney is ready to embrace the “end of the international rules-based order” rather than oppose it – thanks to the confusing and contradictory statements by the Canadian government following...
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada has not yet received requests from Persian Gulf states for military aid to help them defend against attacks from Iran. And, he suggested, these requests might not arrive. The Prime Minister spoke to journalists in Tokyo near the end of a two-day visit to Japan. Earlier this week, Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff...
Canada's defence chief Gen. Jennie Carignan said allies are in talks about possibly helping Persian Gulf states defend themselves against bombing from Iran. Speaking to reporters at a defence and security conference in Ottawa Thursday, Carignan said a meeting is set for early Friday morning to discuss such a proposal among allied militaries and the Canadian Armed Forces would present...
The commander of Canada’s Navy says a mixed submarine fleet would be “more complicated” to operate despite reports that the government is considering splitting the multibillion-dollar contract for 12 new vessels.
Canada's secretary of state for defence procurement says the government is planning to choose just one company to build the country's next fleet of submarines. Stephen Fuhr says the Canadian position has not changed, despite media reports this week suggesting the government might split the contract. Two companies are in the final stages of a heated competition for a multi-billion...
In almost any context, one of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s major problems — and it’s one that he inherited, in fairness to him — is the state of the Canadian Armed Forces. Our military is too small to do all the jobs we need it to do. It lacks critical capabilities necessary for survival on the modern battlefield. Manpower shortages...
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says NATO needs to focus on the North as the global security environment changes and new threats emerge. Anand spoke at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute's annual gathering in Ottawa today. She said the government's "singular task" is to defend Canada's sovereignty and strengthen its alliances.
American approval required for system that allows Gripens and F-35s to communicate. There is a way the U.S. could play hardball with Canada, if the Liberal government of Prime Minister Mark Carney decides it wants to limit its purchase of F-35s in favour of the Gripen. Critics who favour the Lockheed-Martin stealth fighter have long argued that the Swedish-built Gripen...
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to speak at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute's annual gathering in Ottawa today. This year's event is focused on how NATO allies will achieve their pledge to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035. Speakers at the two-day event also include Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of...
Swedish company Saab says it's hoping to partner with the federal government and Canadian businesses to develop systems for the next generation of aerial warfare as it pursues deals to supply Ottawa with new aircraft. The company intends to produce Gripen fighters and GlobalEye surveillance planes on Canadian soil if they are purchased by the Canadian Armed Forces. Saab and...
Defence Minister David McGuinty says Canadian military personnel in the Middle East are out of harm's way as the U.S. and Israel continue to launch missile strikes on Iran. McGuinty did not offer specifics Tuesday when asked how many Canadian military personnel are in the region, saying only there are "some."
Both Germany’s TKMS and South Korea’s Hanwha submitted their final bids to win a lucrative contract to build Canada’s next generation of submarines ahead of the March 2 deadline. CTV News has learned how the proposals will be evaluated and details about what the bids will contain. Tens of billions of dollars in economic incentives are attached to the bids...
The competition to build the Canadian navy's next fleet of submarines is heading into a new phase after a deadline for both finalists to submit their final proposals to the federal government on Monday. Canada is planning to buy a fleet of up to 12 conventionally powered submarines with the hope of having the vessels in the water by 2032...
National Defence is refusing to disclose how it analyzed competing fighter jet bids after a Swedish media report suggested the evaluation was weighted against Saab's Gripen E. Citing confidential sources, the Swedish business publication Affarsvarlden reported that Ottawa added a risk coefficient to its analysis that significantly undermined the Gripen's test scores because it was still a new series aircraft.
Up to 18 Canadian military personnel were on exchange with U.S. in Bahrain and Qatar at time of attack. It is highly likely that members of the Canadian military, on exchange with the United States, were involved in the planning and co-ordinating of airstrikes on Iran, says a former senior Canadian general. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he supports...
Canada and South Korea have signed a new defence agreement, roughly a month after Prime Minister Mark Carney urged middle powers to band together in the face of "great power" economic coercion. Following negotiations that concluded in October, the two countries signed a deal Wednesday related to the exchange and protection of classified military and defence information. In October, Ottawa...
Canada’s new Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) sends a clear signal that defence capability, economic security, and industrial capacity are inseparable. Investment will deliver tangible outcomes: a stronger domestic industry, sovereign capability, and cooperation with allies. Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the first Canadian Defence Industrial Strategy at our CAE headquarters in Montreal. This marks an important first step...
Prime Minister Mark Carney has finally revealed his plan to turn Canada into a weapons-exporting global mega-power. “In total, the Defence Industrial Strategy is an investment of over half a trillion dollars in Canadian security, economic prosperity, and our sovereignty,” he announced this week, promising to create over 125 thousand “high-paying careers” building weapons and otherwise supplying the Canadian military...
Hyundai Motor Co. has proposed building hydrogen fuel-cell infrastructure in Canada as part of South Korea’s bid for a contract to build a new submarine fleet, according to an executive at Hanwha Ocean Co. Hanwha Defence Canada Chief Executive Officer Glenn Copeland said Hyundai briefed Canadian officials during their recent visit to Korea, presenting early plans for three or four...
As the world marks four years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, analysts say Moscow has contributed to global instability that will force Canadians to spend more -- and more quickly -- to defend their territory. "People need to understand why defence is extremely important right now, and why we're going to have to make sacrifices...
Canada's defence industry plan could draw U.S. pressure as Ottawa shifts contracts to Canadian firms. The ink isn't even dry on Canada's new defence industrial strategy, and there are already uneasy rumblings from Washington. The objections are not aimed at Canada — at least not yet — but they could eventually spill across an already strained border. A week ago...
In his celebrated speech to the World Economic Forum at Davos, warning middle powers of the perils of integration with predatory great powers, the Prime Minister also warned against one “understandable” response: each country retreating within its own borders, supplying critical needs domestically, in the search for “strategic autonomy.” “A world of fortresses will be poorer, more fragile, and less...
