Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday the extension of Operation UNIFIER for three years, and the deployment of 60 more troops to Ukraine in the coming days.
Trudeau made the announcement following a cabinet meeting, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, and Defence Minister Anita Anand.
The operation, which trains Ukrainian armed forces and the national guard, was set to expire in March. A group of 200 Canadian Armed Forces members are sent to the country every six months.
The $340 million commitment is in response to escalating tensions at the western Ukraine border where approximately 100,000 Russian troops have amassed, prompting concerns of an imminent invasion.
On top of the additional 60 personnel, Trudeau said there is capacity to increase the number of boots on the ground to up to 400.
“The biggest contribution that Canada can make to Ukraine right now is people. We have trained, our soldiers have trained over 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers. We should not underestimate the importance of this training mission,” said Anand.
The government also announcement a shipment of non-lethal equipment to Ukraine, intelligence sharing, and support to combat cyberattacks.
“We continue to call on Russia de-escalate and engage in meaningful dialogue until a peaceful, diplomatic solution is reached,” said the prime minister.
“The direct threat of Russian invasion, to take control of Ukraine, to take away the choice of Ukrainian people to choose their future is something that concerns not just Ukraine, not just Eastern Europe, but all of us who cherish democracy.”
Russia has denied claims of a future attack, and officials there say troops are simply performing routine military exercises.
The U.S. and the U.K. have begun sending lethal weapons in response to a direct ask from Ukrainian officials.
Asked why Canada is choosing to send non-lethal equipment, Trudeau said his team is continuing to monitor the situation at the border but noted the government’s priority is focused squarely on helping Ukraine defend itself.
Canada has another 900 troops stationed in central and eastern Europe as part of Operation REASSURANCE.
“We have an extremely large footprint relative to our counterparts, indeed we have other countries at the current time suggesting that they join Operation UNIFIER because of the leading role that we play,” said Anand.
The minister noted that the type of training under Operation UNIFIER includes “unit and brigade level tactical training, combat engineer training such as improvised explosive device disposal and explosive ordnance disposal, sniper reconnaissance, military policing, development of non-commissioned officer corps and medical training.”
The minister is scheduled to travel to Ukraine and Latvia in the coming days to visit with Canadian troops.
Last week, Ottawa announced a $120 million loan to Ukraine and offered a “technical assistance grant of up to $6 million to support the implementation of the loan.”
“Russia is aiming to destabilize Ukraine, including economically. This loan will help support Ukraine’s economic resilience,” Trudeau said on Jan. 21. “We’re also exploring other options to provide financial and other supports.”
Up to $50 million more will go towards development and humanitarian aid, the government announced Wednesday.
Conservative MPs Michael Chong, Kerry-Lynne Findlay and James Bezan weighed in on the news, stating that the Liberals failed to “do the right thing” by choosing not to send Ukraine lethal defensive weapons.
“This lack of action by Prime Minister Trudeau calls into question the Liberal government’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s aggression. The time for half measures has long passed. Ukraine needs Canada’s support and today Mr. Trudeau let them down,” a statement reads.
In addition to Ukraine’s request for weapons and equipment, they have asked that Canada impose sectoral sanctions to demonstrate to Russia the cost of further aggression.
The government has committed to “severe consequences” including “coordinated sanctions” with allies, should an attack occur.
NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Police in New Glasgow, N.S., say a 44-year-old woman faces fraud charges after funds went missing from the Pictou East Progressive Conservative Association.
New Glasgow Regional Police began the investigation on Oct. 7, after Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston reported that an undisclosed amount of money had gone missing from his riding association’s account.
Police allege that a volunteer who was acting as treasurer had withdrawn funds from the association’s account between 2016 and 2024.
The force says it arrested Tara Amanda Cohoon at her Pictou County, N.S., residence on Oct. 11.
They say investigators seized mobile electronic devices, bank records and cash during a search of the home.
Cohoon has since been released and is to appear in Pictou provincial court on Dec. 2 to face charges of forgery, uttering a forged document, theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000.
Police say their investigation remains ongoing.
Houston revealed the investigation to reporters on Oct. 9, saying he felt an “incredible level of betrayal” over the matter.
The premier also said a volunteer he had known for many years had been dismissed from the association and the party.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
PICTOU, N.S. – A Nova Scotia excavation company has been fined $80,000 after a worker died when scaffolding collapsed on one of its job sites.
In a decision released Wednesday, a Nova Scotia provincial court judge in Pictou, N.S., found the failure by Blaine MacLane Excavation Ltd. to ensure scaffolding was properly installed led to the 2020 death of Jeff MacDonald, a self-employed electrician.
The sentence was delivered after the excavation company was earlier found guilty of an infraction under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Judge Bryna Hatt said in her decision she found the company “failed in its duty” to ensure that pins essential to the scaffolding’s stability were present at the work site.
Her decision said MacDonald was near the top of the structure when it collapsed on Dec. 9, 2020, though the exact height is unknown.
The judge said that though the excavation company did not own the scaffolding present on its job site, there was no evidence the company took steps to prevent injury, which is required under legislation.
MacDonald’s widow testified during the trial that she found her husband’s body at the job site after he didn’t pick up their children as planned and she couldn’t get in touch with him over the phone.
Julie MacDonald described in her testimony how she knew her husband had died upon finding him due to her nursing training, and that she waited alone in the dark for emergency responders to arrive after calling for help.
“My words cannot express how tragic this accident was for her, the children, and their extended family,” Hatt wrote in the sentencing decision.
“No financial penalty will undo the damage and harm that has been done, or adequately represent the loss of Mr. MacDonald to his family, friends, and our community.”
In addition to the $80,000 fine, the New Glasgow-based company must also pay a victim-fine surcharge of $12,000 and provide $8,000 worth of community service to non-profits in Pictou County.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland on the weekend.
Eugene Earl Spoon, a guest at the hotel, was visiting Newfoundland from Kansas. His remains were found Wednesday morning during a search of the debris left behind after the fire tore through the Driftwood Inn in Deer Lake, N.L., on Saturday, the RCMP said in a news release.
“RCMP (Newfoundland and Labrador) extends condolences to the family and friends of the missing man,” the news release said.
Spoon was last seen Friday evening in the community of about 4,800 people in western Newfoundland. The fire broke out early Saturday morning, the day Spoon was reported missing.
Several crews from the area fought the flames for about 16 hours before the final hot spot was put out, and police said Wednesday that investigators are still going through the debris.
Meanwhile, the provincial Progressive Conservative Opposition reiterated its call for a wider review of what happened.
“Serious questions have been raised about the fire, and the people deserve answers,” Tony Wakeham, the party’s leader, said in a news release Wednesday. “A thorough investigation must be conducted to determine the cause and prevent such tragedies in the future.”
The party has said it spoke to people who escaped the burning hotel, and they said alarm and sprinkler systems did not seem to have been activated during the fire. However, Stephen Rowsell, the Deer Lake fire chief, has said there were alarms going off when crews first arrived.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
