Canada’s defence minister defends move to track Russian warships in Cuba – National

[Pelican Press 0]

Canada’s defence minister defends move to track Russian warships in Cuba  – National

National Defence Minister Bill Blair’s office is defending the decision to send a ********* ship to Cuba where it docked alongside some of Russia’s fleet, calling it a “carefully” planned move to increase its presence in the region.

Spokesman Daniel Minden issued a statement on Sunday saying the visit to Havana’s port “was carefully and fulsomely planned,” and the minister authorized it on the advice of the Royal ********* Navy and ********* ****** Operations Command.

“We’ve made the smart choice to boost our naval presence in the region this week,” the statement reads.

“We believe that this marked an especially important time to show a ********* presence.”

The Opposition Conservatives took to social media to criticize the move after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told CBC News during a recent interview she was unaware that one of Canada’s patrol vessels was docked in Havana at the same time as Russian warships.

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“This is information that is news to me,” the minister told host David Cochrane.

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0:40
Canada promises more support for Ukraine by bolstering NATO’s eastern flank

Michael Chong, the Conservatives’ foreign affairs critic, questioned why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government sent a ********* ship to “celebrate” relations “with a ********** dictatorship at all,” referring to Cuba.

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“Let alone while Russian warships are docked there?” Chong posted on X.

James Bezan, the partys critic for national defence, said the decision  warrants a probe by the parliamentary committee on defence, saying he wants to hear Joly and Blair testify.

************* Leader Pierre Poilievre issued a statement on X, formerly

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, describing the visit as “reckless, ******** and dangerous.”

“While our troops are starved of resources, Trudeau spends defence budget sending a ********* naval ship to Cuba alongside the Russian navy to honour Cuba’s brutal ********** government,” it reads.

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The visit to Havana marks the first for Canada’s navy since 2016 and comes at a time when Canada has sent billions in aide and military equipment to Ukraine to help it ****** off Russia’s invasion, which began in February 2022.

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2:23
Trudeau says Russia must be held accountable for ‘element of genocide’ in taking Ukrainian children

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was himself travelling back to Canada on Sunday following a summit staged in Switzerland to help advance peace in Ukraine.

While there, Trudeau pledged a $52 million package to assist Ukraine and co-chaired a session for leaders where he discussed the need for the international community to call for the return of the close to 20,000 Ukrainian children forcibly removed from their homes by Russia.

In his statement on Sunday, Minden said HMCS Ville de Quebec, one of Canada’s warships, and a CP-140 patrol plane had been tracking the Russian flotilla, adding the military publicized the port visit.

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In its post on X, the ********* ****** Operations Command said the port visit by Canada came in recognition “of the long-standing bilateral relationship” between Canada and Cuba.

The visit by HMCS Margaret Brooke is set to last from June 14 to 17.

Joly’s office deferred to Blair’s when asked to respond.

A statement from Blair’s office says he will provide an update on Monday “about Canada’s ongoing work to monitor the Russian navy flotilla, and to demonstrate Canada’s military presence and capability around North America.”

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Bill Blair, Cuba, Royal ********* Navy, Russia, Canada, Politics, World
#Canadas #defence #minister #defends #move #track #Russian #warships #Cuba #National

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